EU warns Google of looming fines

The EU’s antitrust chief has warned Google it could face charges of breaching EU rules and a fine unless it does more to ease concerns it used its search clout to block rivals.

Google’s European headquarters is in Ireland, where it employs about 2,000 people. EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said concessions from Google, which is in talks with the European Commission to resolve complaints from competitors such as Microsoft, had not gone far enough.

“We are not there yet, and it must be clear that — in the absence of satisfactory proposals in the short term — I will be obliged to continue with our formal proceedings,” he said in the text of a speech to be delivered at New York’s Fordham University. “If effective solutions were found quickly and tested successfully, competition could be restored at an early stage.”