ECJ Advocate General:

Google must grant access to Android Auto

Google's refusal to open up Android Auto to third-party providers may violate European competition law.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/NajmiArif)

According to ECJ Advocate General Laila Medina, Google must grant third-party software providers access to its Android Auto operating system. A refusal may violate European competition law, Medina wrote in her opinion published on Thursday.

In this case, Enel X, a subsidiary of the Italian energy supplier Enel, wanted to offer its app for charging electric vehicles for Android Auto. However, the Alphabet subsidiary Google refused access, stating among other things that special adaptations would have to be programmed for this.

The Italian antitrust authorities saw this as an abuse of market power and imposed a fine of 102 million euros on Google, against which the US company lodged an appeal. The case was then referred to the ECJ.

Objective reasons required
Advocate General Medina now agreed with the opinion of the Italian competition authority. An operator may only refuse access to a platform if it can provide objective reasons. These include that access is technically impossible or that the function of the platform would be impaired.

Although the opinion is not binding, the judges usually follow the recommendations of the Advocates General, who are supposed to develop their proposals for a ruling by the ECJ independently and impartially.