Google Fined $1.7 Billion for Search Ad Blocks in Third EU Sanction

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on April 15 in Brussels as the EU formally charged Google with abusing its dominant position as Europe's top search engine, laying the U.S. John Thys/AFP/Getty Images

BRUSSELS—Alphabet Inc. unit Google was fined 1.49 billion euros ($1.7 billion) on March 20, its third large European Union antitrust penalty in two years marking the company’s decade-long regulatory battle in Europe.

The EU antitrust chief, however, gave a cautious welcome to Google’s measures to boost competition and give Android users a choice of browsers and search apps, suggesting the company’s regulatory woes may be coming to an end.