Today, the European Commission has started two sets of specification proceedings to assist Google in complying with its obligations under the Digital Markets Act (‘DMA\'). The specification proceedings

On January 27, 2026, the European Commission opened proceedings to assist Google in complying with two key Digital Markets Act (DMA) obligations[1]:

  1. Interoperability Requirements:
  • Google must allow third-party services to interoperate with its operating system and software features
  • The company cannot restrict access to hardware and software features that it uses for its own services[2]
  1. Search Data Sharing:
  • Google must provide competitors with access to search ranking, query, click and view data on fair terms
  • This data must be anonymized when it contains personal information[2:1]

These proceedings follow earlier DMA enforcement actions from March 2024, when the Commission launched investigations into Google’s potential self-preferencing in search results and restrictions on app developers in the Google Play Store[3].

The Commission’s role is to ensure Google implements these obligations effectively while maintaining security and privacy protections. Under the DMA, failure to comply could result in fines up to 10% of global turnover, rising to 20% for repeat violations[4].

  1. Commission opens proceedings to assist Google in complying with DMA obligations ↩︎

  2. Bruegel - Digital Market Act designations: the interoperability of Google Android ↩︎ ↩︎

  3. Hausfeld - 1st Anniversary of the Digital Markets Act (DMA): Lessons learned and road ahead ↩︎

  4. EU Digital Markets Act - Updates and Compliance ↩︎