EU to take action against Google over alleged anti-competitive behaviour
EU expected to set out its actions against Google for anti-competitive behaviour later on today
The EU is expected to set out the action it will take against Google over alleged anti-competitive behaviour later on today, with Margrethe Vestager, the competition commissioner, possibly making a statement about her intentions.
According to foreign media, reports suggest she will announce that a "statement of objections" is being prepared and such action would mark an escalation in the Commission's handling of complaints that Google favours its own products in search engine results.
According to reports, Google accounts for more than a 90% share of EU-based web searches, but the company has yet to respond.
The European Commission has meanwhile investigated the antitrust allegations - made by Microsoft, Tripadvisor, Streetmap and others - since 2010. The companies have objected to the fact that the firm places reviews from Google+, directions from Google Maps, music and videos from YouTube, and adverts from its Adwords platform ahead of others' links in relevant searches.
A lobbying group representing the companies (Icomp) argued that “Google must not abuse its power in general online search to give preferential treatment to its own separate services."
“If Google takes the view that users are best served by search results that integrate additional services, Google must choose the services that benefits consumers most, even if the services are not its own,” it added
According to the BBC, last year, Google agreed to alter the way it displayed its search results, but the changes it suggested were deemed to be insufficient.
Previous competition commissioner, Joaquin Almunia, had asked the company to come up with a new plan, but he left his post without resolving the matter, and was criticised by some politicians for not having taken a firmer stance.
Sources say that his successor Vestager, may take a tougher line by issuing a "statement of objections", which involves sending a letter that sets out all the objections the commission can base its final decision on, and is a legal requirement, providing Google an opportunity to respond before action is taken. Google could in fact face huge fines and orders to reshape its business in Europe.
In recent years, the Commission has imposed antitrust penalties on other tech giants, ordering Intel to pay 1.1bn euros (£793m; $1.2bn) in 2009 and Microsoft 516m euros in 2013.
The EU's investigation is not the only one Google is facing with investigators at India's Competition Commission delivering a report last week after carrying out a three-year probe into claims of unfair business practices, while their counterparts in Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Taiwan and Canada have also opened investigations.
However, the BBC reports, the US Federal Trade Commission dropped its own probe at the start of 2013 after Google made several non-binding commitments.
