EU: Google, Commission could be just days from settlement

Google is inching closer towards a resolution of a three-year investigation by the European Commission as sources say the company has offered yet another round of concessions.

According to two sources, the “much better” settlement offer may mean Commissioner Almunia could soon approve of the deal, allowing Google to potentially avoid fines of up to $5 billion.

The anonymous sources said a deal could be reached in the coming weeks or even in a few days; one of those sources is a senior European Union official, according to reports.

Both the European Commission and Google declined to comment on the speculation.

Almunia has twice rejected Google’s offer to end a probe into the company’s practices and dominance in the search market as rivals content the company abuses its power in how it displays search results.

Google rivals weighed in on the offers, slamming the concessions as inadequate or even ones that will make the situation worse. According to sources, the Commission will not have competitors weigh-in on the latest settlement proposal.

Full Content: Reuters

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