France urges EU to use Google fine proceeds to lower member states’ budget contributions

Paris, France. The European Union should use proceeds from fines imposed on Google to reduce member states’ contributions to the EU budget, French Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad said on Tuesday. He said the revenue source was worth €4.6 billion and should automatically lower contributions from all member states.

Fines and budget talks

Haddad made the comments in an interview with Franceinfo TV station. EU capitals remain divided over the size of the budget and spending priorities.

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Google was fined a total of €890 million in July for breaching EU rules aimed at limiting the power of Big Tech. The recent fines brought EU penalties against Google for anti-competitive practices to €10.38 billion over nearly two decades.

EU governments are negotiating the budget for 2028 to 2034, with summits scheduled for October, November and December as they seek a deal before year-end. The European Commission has proposed a €2 trillion budget, equivalent to 1.26% of EU Gross National Income. About €168 billion, or 0.11% of GNI, would service borrowing for the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund.