Google has appealed a whopping €2.4 billion fine from the EU (GOOG)

Margrethe Vestager

Google has appealed a €2.4 billion (£2.1 billion; $2.9 billion) fine from the European Commission.

The European Commission, which acts as the European Union's competition watchdog, issued the fine on June 27 after deciding that the Californian tech giant unfairly promotes its shopping service at the top of its search results.

Google confirmed the appeal to Business Insider but declined to comment further or give any detail.

If you're not familiar with Google Shopping, it's that graphical bar that shows up any time you search for a product. For example, if you Google the term "frock", Google will show you some pictures of dresses with some links to third-party retailers such as British department store House of Fraser.

Let's say you didn't want to buy a frock though, and were just searching for the term. Normal results still show up underneath Google Shopping, but it still takes up almost half of the screen.

When the fine was issued, Europe's competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, said: "What Google has done is illegal under EU antitrust rules. It denied other companies the chance to compete on the merits and to innovate. And most importantly, it denied European consumers a genuine choice of services and the full benefits of innovation."

The Commission told Google to stop displaying its shopping service so prominently at the top of search results by September 28, saying this was an abuse of power.

Additional reporting by Shona Ghosh.

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