EU's Almunia expects Google answers on antitrust probe by early July

The European Commission expects Google Inc. to give "concrete signs" of possible ways to solve an antitrust probe by early July, competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia said Friday.

"By early July, I expect to receive from Google concrete signs of their willingness to explore this route," Almunia said in a speech at a conference in Switzerland, referring to the possibility of resolving the issues that the European Union has raised via a negotiation rather than a deeper investigation which could lead to fines.

The EU's antitrust watchdog launched an investigation last November into the world's most popular search engine after more than a dozen rivals accused it of abusing its dominant position in the market for Web search engines.

Mr. Almunia also said that the commission, which has antitrust powers in the EU, is getting ready to move into the next phase of an in-depth investigation into French company Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group proposed acquisition of EMI's recorded music business.

"Ultimately, we will need to make sure that, in this already concentrated market, the company that would emerge from the deal would not be in a position to shape the future landscape in the digital music market to the detriment of users and artists," Mr. Almunia said.

The commission opened an in-depth investigation into the case last March.

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