THE European Commission will make a decision on what to do about excessive budget deficits in Germany and France in November, spokeswoman Amelia Torres said yesterday.

European and Chinese negotiators are expected to meet for a fourth day tomorrow to try to produce a new agreement in the so-called “bra wars” dispute on textile quotas.

European and Chinese negotiators held a second day of talks today aimed at producing a new agreement on textile quotas to replace a deal that has left tons of Chinese-made garments stranded at European ports.

THE European Commission said it had no grounds to revise its forecast for 2% gross domestic product growth in the euro zone in 2005, despite the emergence of a gloomier economic picture in recent weeks.

The EC stepped up pressure on Italy today to explain its decision to force rivals of struggling state owned airline Alitalia to raise prices on long-haul flights from Rome.

The European Commission have warned that BSkyB will not be allowed a monopoly on live Premiership games when their new three-year deal expires in 2007.

EUROPEAN UNION antitrust regulators admitted that they failed to break British Sky Broadcasting Group plc's hold on British soccer broadcasting rights and said they will continue to try and limit the company's control from 2007.

EU competition commissioner Mario Monti will announce the European Commission's ruling in its antitrust probe into Microsoft Corp at around 1.15 pm tomorrow, according to EU spokesperson Amelia Torres.

MICROSOFT CORP chief executive officer Steve Ballmer and general counsel Brad Smith held talks with the European Commission yesterday in an effort to settle row over the world’s largest software maker allegedly abusing the dominance of Windows to stifle competition.

The European Commission won unanimous backing from national antitrust regulators today for a draft ruling against Microsoft that sources say finds the US software giant abused its Windows monopoly and orders deep changes in the way the company operates.

Microsoft, the world's number one software company, faces anti-trust fines of up to $3.2 bn (€2.56bn) from the European Commission.

The BBC and ITV were today weighing up potential bids to attract live Barclaycard Premiership football on to terrestrial television after the Premier League agreed a compromise deal with the European Commission.

EU officials hinted today they were preparing to bring antitrust charges against the English Premier League over how it sells television rights for its soccer games.

The European Commission said it is likely to look favourably on a deal between British Airways PLC and Swiss International Airlines that will see the struggling Swiss carrier join the OneWorld global airline alliance.

The EU is investigating whether contracts European pay-TV stations signed with Hollywood studios contain clauses meant to shut out competition and inflate film prices.

The EU today started moves to make live Premier League football available to more TV viewers at a lower cost, calling the current joint selling of television rights “tantamount to price fixing.”

The European Commission is to block a proposed joint gas marketing venture between Enterprise Energy Ireland, Norway's Statoil and US company Marathon Oil because it considers it anti-competitive.

The International Football Association (FIFA) yesterday requested to delay tomorrow's meeting on the reform of the international football transfer system with the European Commission, said Amelia Torres, the commission's competition spokeswoman.