The European Court of Justice ruled that Google's (GOOGL.US) refusal to allow third-party access to Android Auto violated competition law.

Europe's top court recently ruled in favor of Italy's antitrust regulator, backing its decision that Google's refusal to integrate Enel X's application into its Android Auto platform may constitute abuse of a dominant position.

The court said in a statement on Tuesday: "The court found that a company in a dominant position may abuse its dominant position by refusing to ensure interoperability of its digital platform with applications developed by third parties."

However, the court noted that such refusals are justified if the relevant application category lacks a corresponding template and interoperability may endanger the platform's security or integrity.

The court added that if such conditions do not exist, a company in a dominant position must develop the template within a reasonable time.

It was reported that Google has already resolved the issue.

Enel X had asked Google in September 2018 to integrate its JuicePass application, which allows users to find and book charging stations for electric vehicles, into Android Auto, a platform that allows users to access specific applications on their smartphones through their car's integrated display. However, Google refused, citing a lack of a specific template, and said at the time only media and communication third-party applications were compatible with Android Auto. Google also argued that security concerns and the resources required to develop a new template were involved.

Italy's competition and markets authority (AGCM) therefore fined Google over €102 million, finding the behavior constituted abuse of a dominant position. Google appealed to the Italian Council of State, which referred the case to the European Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling, according to the court.

Last September, the European Court of Justice's Advocate General Laila Medina supported the stance of Italy's antitrust regulator, finding that Google's refusal to integrate the application into Android Auto may violate EU competition rules.