EU Parliament ready to vote on Google break-up

EU lawmakers will likely vote on Thursday on a motion proposing the break-up of Google and other internet technology companies, increasing political pressure on the bloc’s anti-trust regulators to take a stronger line on the group.

The parliament has no power to dismember a firm. But the vote, underlining widespread concern among EU politicians about US dominance of the internet industry, would be a significant public challenge to Google’s business in Europe.

Andreas Schwab, a German Christian Democrat lawmaker at the European Parliament, and Spanish liberal Ramon Tremosa unveiled a draft of their resolution last week, saying separating search engines from other commercial services would ensure a level playing field for rivals in Europe.