Google offers EU new competition proposals

(BRUSSELS) - US Internet giant Google has submitted new proposals to remedy EU concerns that it is abusing its dominant position in the search market, the European Commission said Monday.

"If the Commission considers the proposals to be satisfactory there could be an agreed solution in the coming months," a spokesman said.

The EU's executive arm had identified four main areas of concern, chief among them that Google gives preference in its search results to its own services, such as surveys of restaurants or hotels.

"Our proposal to the European Commission addresses their four areas of concern," Google spokesman Al Verney told AFP.

"We continue to work with the Commission to settle this case," Verney added, declining to give any specific details.

Separately, the FairSearch alliance of companies which have pressed Brussels to take action against Google demanded Monday that "customers and competitors ... be consulted in a full, second market test" of its latest offer.

Commission tests of a first Google proposal last spring came back negative.

Accordingly, in July, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia wrote to Google chief Eric Schmidt to demand that Google improve its proposals.

The Commission spokesman did not say Monday if the latest offer would be market tested.

Brussels launched its investigation of Google in November 2010 following a complaint by several companies, including Microsoft.

A company found at fault in an EU anti-trust probe can face fines of up to 10 percent of its total annual sales.