Google concessions could end European antitrust investigation

The European Commission says new concessions offered by Google could end its long-running antitrust investigation against the search giant. The EU began investigating Google in 2010 after claims by Internet rivals the Mountain View, Calif., company was unfairly stifling competition in Europe. Internet search in Europe is dominated by Google, which has 80 percent of the market. In the new concessions Google is said to have promised to make it easier for web users to see search results from its rivals, allowing competitors to display their own logos next to their services and take up more space on Google's result pages. EU regulators said the new concessions were being taken seriously, the BBC reported Tuesday. "We have reached a key moment in this case," competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia told the European Parliament. "Now with significant improvements on the table, I think we have the possibility to work again," A decision on the antitrust case and a possible settlement could be made next spring, Almunia said.