Read between the lines: Google faces years of EU oversight on top of record antitrust fine

Commission is forcing Google to demonstrate that rivals have made substantial inroads into its businesses before there is much chance of it being let off the regulatory hook.

Beyond a headline-grabbing 2.4 billion euro (2.1 billion pounds) fine EU antitrust regulators have levelled against Google, the internet giant is likely to be shackled for years by Tuesday's precedent-setting decision defining the company as a monopoly.

The ruling opens the door for further regulatory actions against more crucial parts of Google's business – mobile phones, online ad buying and specialised search categories like travel - while easing the standard of proof for rivals to mount civil lawsuits showing Google has harmed them.

So far, investors have shrugged off the EU's threatened crackdown, with Google's holding company Alphabet's shares down 1.8 percent