Morten Messerschmidt MEP who authored the European Parliament’s recent annual Competition report responded to the EU’s announcement that it has sent a statement of objections to Google for allegedly abusing its market position.

Responding to the EU’s announcement that it has sent a statement of objections to Google for allegedly abusing its market position, Morten Messerschmidt MEP who authored the European Parliament’s recent annual Competition report, said:

“Finally we are seeing some life in the Commission’s Competition directorate. Despite four years of investigations we have seen few clear results or actions by the commission to allow all digital businesses to operate on a level playing field.

“In its annual Competition report a broad majority of the European Parliament urged the Commission to act decisively on the competition concerns raised in relation to Google. After having been asleep on the job for far too long, The European Commission has now finally woken up. The EU’s entire digital agenda would have no credibility until this issue is resolved.

“The Commission has now showed its teeth, and it must now work swiftly with Google to resolve this case and create an open and fair internet search marketplace.”

ENDS

Notes: In the European Parliament’s competition report – drafted by Mr Messerschmidt – MEPs called for a rapid resolution to the Google case:

Welcomes the announcement by the Commissioner for Competition of further investigations by the Commission into Google’s practices in the mobile sector and in the digital market in general; regrets that, despite four years of investigation and three sets of commitment proposals, the Commission has achieved no demonstrable results in addressing the main competition concern in its antitrust case against Google, i.e. the preferential treatment by Google of its own services in displaying results of search queries; stresses the need for the Commission to urgently resolve the Google case in order to ensure a level playing field if its Digital Agenda strategy is to remain credible; urges the Commission to act decisively on all concerns that have been identified, to take strong measures based on the non-discrimination principle against competition infringements in fast-moving and dynamic digital markets such as the online search and advertising markets, and to find a long-term solution for a balanced, fair and open internet search structure;

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