Are EU Google charges fair? - EUbusiness Week newsletter 700 - EUbusiness.com

EUbusiness Week 700 top stories: EU eager to finalise probe into Google ‘market abuse’; EU, Russia, Ukraine to resume trade pact talks; EU plots future energy security; Lobbying exposes EU to corruption risk says watchdog; Brussels urged to label Israeli West bank produce; EU moves closer to counting calories in alcoholic drinks

Publisher’s Note

Internet giant Google again came under EU fire this week when the Commission charged it with abusing the dominance of its search engine, and also launched a sensitive probe into its omnipresent Android mobile phone operating system.

Maybe the main problem is that Google search is a free service. Consumers cannot be too surprised if free services also want to make money. But if the probe confirms EC concerns, Google will have to face legal consequences and change the way it does business in Europe. Under EU anti-trust rules, a company faces a fine of up to 10 per cent of its annual sales – in Google’s case, $66 billion in 2014.
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Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

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1. EU eager to finalise probe into Google ‘market abuse’

The European Union said Thursday it had filed anti-trust charges against Google to speedily resolve allegations that the tech titan abuses its search engine’s market dominance.
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EU action on Google marks divergence with Washington
Buying a Paris to Berlin ticket: what Google really offers

2. EU, Russia, Ukraine to resume trade pact talks

The EU, Russia and Ukraine will resume talks in Brussels next week on Moscow’s concerns about the Union’s free trade pact with Kiev, EU officials said on Tuesday.
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Warplanes pose increased risk to civilian jets over Europe

3. EU plots future energy security

The Union is drawing up contingency plans to guarantee energy security for the bloc under all circumstances, Commissioner Canete said at an informal meeting of energy ministers on Thursday.
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EU clears massive German wind farms investment

4. Lobbying exposes EU to corruption risk says watchdog

EU governments and institutions must adopt robust rules for powerful lobbies seeking to shape laws and policy or face the risk of corruption, warns anti-graft watchdog Transparency International.
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5. Brussels urged to label Israeli West bank produce

Sixteen out of the 28 Member States want the EU to label products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, say diplomatic sources, confirming a Haaretz report.
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6. EU moves closer to counting calories in alcoholic drinks

Health conscious tipplers may be closer to finding out just how many calories they are imbibing as consumer advocates push for EU nutritional labelling on alcoholic drinks in the face of strong industry resistance.
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EUROPEAN LAW

Facebook: an Austrian law graduate spearheading a class action case against Facebook for alleged privacy breaches has officially filed the suit in a Vienna court.
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Latest news from the European Court of Justice
EU law firms
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Inside the EU Institutions

Council Watch

Greece: facing tough negotiations with the EU over a crucial debt financing deal, Greece’s hard-left government revealed Thursday it will seek millions in savings through spending cuts to ministerial budgets.
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Under EU pressure, France unveils billions in savings
EU beneficiaries speak out in Britain ahead of election
Italy pleads for aid to cope with migrant influx
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Commission Watch

Kosovo: the EU has published a report saying its justice mission in Kosovo poorly handled allegations of corruption by opening a belated internal probe that only fuelled suspicions of a cover-up.
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EU not laying ground for Greek exit: Moscovici
EU urges more Mediterranean cooperation to tackle terrorism
Profile: Margrethe Vestager, nemesis of Google
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Parliament Watch

Turkey: Parliament has urged Turkey to use the centenary of Ottoman-era massacres to “recognise the Armenian genocide” and help promote reconciliation between the two peoples.
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In committee this week, Legal Affairs MEPs backed plans to facilitate recovery of small debts; while in plenary, Parliament agreed to changes to ceilings in the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020, to help fund 300 state-managed programmes that started too late to qualify for EU funding in 2014.
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EU diary

20 Apr: Agriculture and Fisheries Council
20 Apr: European Parliament Committee Meetings
20 Apr: Foreign Affairs Council
20 Apr: Forum on future of gender equality
23 Apr: European Parliament Committee Meetings
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary