Mubasher: The European Union (EU) on Tuesday fined Google $2.7 billion on the back of an antitrust issue, where the search engine favoured some of its services over that of its rivals.

The Alphabet Inc. subsidiary is expected to suffer additional fines if it does not change its system which favours Google’s own services instead of rival content, the European Commission, which is responsible for legislation-related decisions in the EU, said.

"What Google has done is illegal under EU antitrust rules," EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said, adding that in Europe, “companies must compete on the merits regardless if they are European or not.”

Vestager highlighted that Google’s favouritism of its content over others had denied European consumers “a genuine choice of services and the full benefits of innovation."

On the other hand, a Google spokesperson stated: "We respectfully disagree with the conclusions announced today,” adding that the US-based search engine will review the Commission's decision in detail while considering an appeal.

“We look forward to continuing to make our case," Google’s spokesperson concluded.

Google’s shopping debate dates back to 2010.

This is not the company’s first problem in Europe as it was previously accused, by the EU, of “abusing its market position” to impose restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile operators, according to CNN.

The EU is reportedly investigating Google’s placing of its ads, namely its AdSense service.