Google has made a proposal to the EU to address competition issues.

Google, owned by Alphabet, has proposed to make online advertising technology more accessible for publishers and advertisers despite calls from European Union antitrust regulators to sell off parts of its business to resolve conflicts of interest.

Regulators on both sides are targeting Google's tools used by advertisers and publishers, as well as the central position of AdX advertising exchange ownership. In September, the European Commission fined Google €2.95 billion ($3.4 billion) for favoring its own online display technology services to reinforce AdX's central role. The Commission stated that this behavior harmed competitors, advertisers, and publishers, and requested measures to resolve the conflicts by November.

On Friday, Google announced that its proposal submitted to the European regulatory authority closely resembles those suggested in the U.S. Department of Justice inquiry on the same issue. In a blog post, the company stated, "Our proposal fully addresses the European Commission's decision without a disruptive divestiture and will spare thousands of publishers and advertisers in Europe who grow their businesses with Google tools from harm."

Additionally, Google outlined plans to immediately implement product changes to end certain practices that the European Commission found concerning. For instance, it stated that it would offer publishers the option to set different minimum prices for different bids when using Google Ad Manager.

The company proposed to enhance the interoperability of its tools, offering publishers and advertisers more choice and flexibility. Previously, sources reported that if Google continued its anti-competitive practices, regulators could decide on divestiture in later stages.

The European Commission's situation parallels that of the U.S. Department of Justice, which has demanded the sale of AdX. Google expressed that this is technically not feasible and would lead to ongoing uncertainty for advertisers and publishers. The case is currently ongoing in U.S. court. If the court rules in favor of the Department of Justice, this would resolve the issue from the European Commission's perspective.