European Commission issues preliminary Digital Markets Act findings requiring Google to share search data with rival engines and AI chatbots, with final decision due July 2026

The European Commission has sent preliminary findings to Google setting out proposed measures to bring the company into compliance with its obligations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) — the EU regulation that designates large online platforms as 'gatekeepers' and imposes specific interoperability and data-sharing obligations. The Commission's proposal would require Google to allow third-party search engines access to its search data, including data generated by AI (artificial intelligence) chatbots with search functionalities. Google has pushed back, stating that the proposed measures raise privacy concerns and other objections. Interested parties have until 1 May 2026 to submit their views on the proposed measures, with a final decision expected in July 2026. The DMA came into force in November 2022 and its gatekeeper obligations have applied since March 2024. This is the first time the Commission has moved to specify concrete technical interoperability measures in the search market, a sector where Google holds over 90% market share across the EU. The search data sharing requirement — if finalised — would represent a structural intervention in how search index data flows across the market, with downstream implications for the commercial viability of smaller search engines and for AI-powered search products that rely on index access. Non-compliance with DMA obligations carries fines of up to 10% of annual global turnover, and up to 20% for repeat infringements.

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Bigger Picture

Sector Watch

Defence-Linked Green Tech Deals

The ITM Power–Rheinmetall collaboration on NATO synthetic fuels marks the clearest signal yet that European defence procurement budgets are flowing into green hydrogen infrastructure — a convergence that creates novel legal work spanning technology licensing, export controls, and defence procurement frameworks simultaneously. Clean energy PE hit a record $46.5 billion in deal value in 2025, with PE growth deals surpassing buyouts for the first time; the defence channel adds a new, non-cyclical source of demand for electrolyser and Power-to-X capacity. UK firms advising on energy technology transactions should expect clients in this space to require dual-track advice: commercial energy contract structuring on one side and export control / dual-use compliance on the other. The ITM Power–RWE 150 MW capacity reservation deal separately confirms that major European utilities are beginning to commit to specific hydrogen volumes ahead of regulatory mandates — a contracting pattern that will generate offtake and capacity reservation advisory work throughout 2026.

One to Follow

The UK Supreme Court's referral in the Benjamin Field / Maids Moreton poisoning case — the CPS has been granted leave to take the voluntariness jury direction point to the Supreme Court before any retrial proceeds.

The Supreme Court's ruling will set binding criminal law precedent on what constitutes a 'voluntary' act by a victim who has been deceived, with direct implications for future prosecutions involving spiking, poisoning, and administering noxious substances — a category of offence with growing relevance to drug-facilitated assaults and online-enabled harms. Criminal defence, prosecution, and appellate practices should monitor closely, as the outcome will reshape jury direction templates across the criminal courts.

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