Google Search is being forced to change, and some users might feel the pinch

After the European Union recently imposed a $1 billion fine on Google for allegedly violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Google is changing how Search works in the region. This changes how Google search results appear in EU countries, which, the company’s representatives say, could deteriorate the quality of results for people in the region.

Earlier today, Google confirmed to Reuters that it was implementing “significant changes to Search in Europe.” The changes appear to apply particularly when users search for services such as flights or hotels (also known as vertical search services or VSS), where Google will now be required to show results from its top competitors before serving its own Flights, Hotels, or other services.

With these changes, users in the EU will now see different carousels for top VSS results. As per Reuters, “the revamped search results will ​highlight one specialized search engine at the top of the page, followed by two others with fewer details while a ‌carousel ⁠of hotels, airlines and restaurants for example will sit below them with key features such as real-time prices stripped out. The rankings will be determined by Google’s algorithm.”

While rolling out the changes, Google has registered strong disapproval, calling this the most regressive change to Search in the last 30 or so years of its existence. It said the following to Reuters,

These changes ​degrade the user experience for ​Europeans – boosting online intermediaries ⁠at the expense of local businesses, and removing helpful features people rely on every day. Users outside the EU will not be impacted by these changes,

At the time of writing this, however, some Google search results for flights and hotels (using a VPN) still show Google’s own services at the top, suggesting they may take a while to roll out fully.

Google has reportedly been testing these changes since around February 2026 to avoid fines the EU planned to impose on Google for abusing its position as the leading search provider. In July 2026, the EU finalized a penalty of €460 million (~$535 million) for leveraging its market position to favor results for its own services, along with another €430 million (~$500 million) for directing app seekers to the Play Store rather than also showing results from other app stores. The total fine, therefore, amounts to over $1 billion, and it was given 60 days to comply with, or appeal, the order.

Earlier this year, the European Parliament also ditched Google for another smaller search engine, Qwant.