Joint industry statement on Google Search and Article 6.5 of the Digital Markets Act
HOTREC joins a broad coalition of industry stakeholders representing the airline, hospitality, and rail sectors in a joint statement marking two years since the European Commission opened proceedings against Alphabet for non‑compliance with Article 6(5) of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) regarding Google Search.
More than three years after the DMA entered into force, meaningful compliance is still lacking. Despite continuous dialogue and multiple proposal rounds, businesses and consumers across Europe, including thousands of hospitality SMEs, continue to face uncertainty, reduced visibility, and unclear timelines for effective solutions.
The DMA was created to restore fairness and contestability in digital markets. The coalition stresses that while the Commission’s preliminary findings were a crucial step forward, decisive enforcement must now follow.
The joint call urges the European Commission to:
- Ensure swift and effective enforcement of Article 6(5) DMA.
- Align remedial actions with the preliminary findings and the law’s objectives.
- Secure practical compliance solutions that genuinely improve visibility, choice, and fairness for all market participants.
For Europe’s hospitality sector, heavily dependent on fair online visibility and equitable access to digital platforms, effective DMA enforcement is vital. A level playing field will strengthen consumer trust, support competitiveness, and ensure that hospitality businesses can reach customers on fair terms.