The Google adtech cases in the US and EU: A new order in digital advertising? CPDP 2026

The Google adtech cases in the US and EU: A new order in digital advertising? Google, the world’s second most profitable company, has been found to have abused its dominant position in the online advertising intermediation (“adtech”) market in both the United States and the European Union. These cases have unfolded in parallel on both sides of the Atlantic and have become landmark competition proceedings in the digital economy. Over the years, Google’s conduct has shown a pattern of strategic adaptation, morphing from one anticompetitive practice to another to maintain control over the industry’s core infrastructure. With remedy decisions expected soon, this is a pivotal moment to take stock of what has happened, what these decisions will actually change, and what they imply for the future of online advertising and digital markets more broadly. This panel examines whether these interventions mark a genuine structural turning point or business as usual. Questions to be answered: What are the key findings of the US antitrust ruling and the European Commission's decision regarding Google's adtech business, and where do the two jurisdictions converge or diverge in their analysis? What does the current state of competition in online advertising look like, and what motivated complaints against Google in the EU? What would it actually take to make the online advertising ecosystem genuinely competitive, and who stands to benefit depending on which path is chosen? Beyond these cases, what broader structural challenges remain in the online advertising market, and are we heading toward a new order or business as usual? Organised by Check My Ads with Lex Zard (moderator), Arielle Garcia, Alexandros Papanikolaou, Mathilde Fiquet, Tasos Stampelos More information: https://cpdp.be/127784