The European Commission has agreed to the concessions offered by Google aimed at improving competition in the online search market. Pending comment from other market players on the committments from Google, the EC aims to sign a binding five-year agreement with the company, putting an end to its compettion investigation of the search giant.
Under Google's improved proposal, the company would guarantee that whenever it promotes its own specialised search services on its site (e.g. for products, hotels, restaurants, etc.), the services of three rivals, selected through an objective method, will also be displayed in a way that is clearly visible to users and comparable to the way in which Google displays its own services. This principle would apply to existing and future services.
Other concessions include allowing content providers to opt out of inclusion in Google's specialised search results, ending Google's exclusivity requirements in its agreements with publishers for search ads and Google removing restrictions preventing search ad campaigns running on competing platforms.
Google’s compliance would be supervised by an independent monitoring trustee. Before the EC takes a final decision on the proposal, it will consult with the original complainants in the case.
Their previous opposition had caused the EC to demand twice already that Google improve its offer. Groups such as Fairsearch.org, which includes websites such as Expedia and Tripadvisor, have called for the EC to hold a full public consultation on Google's proposal before agreeing to end the competition investigation, as well as conduct market tests to make sure Google's planned changes have the intended effect.
