Google competition case: ENPA welcomes Commission’s first step

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Newspaper publisher represented by the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association(ENPA) welcomed the statement of European Commission Vice- President Almunia yesterday, on the ongoing EU competition inquiry into Google’s alleged abuse of dominant position. Vice-President Almunia asked Google to come forward with proposals to address concerns raised regarding its market behaviour, in particular the preferential treatment that Google gives to its own services compared to competing services.

Newspaper publishers would like to underline the high importance for our sector of the ongoing Commission’s investigation into Google’s alleged abuse of dominant position in Europe.

ENPA President Ivar Rusdal stated: “Publishers in a number of EU Member States have raised concerns that Google abuses its dominant market position through its practices in the search and advertising market, which significantly affects competition and the sustainability of newspaper titles in the Member States. The preliminary conclusions of Vice-President Almunia represent an important step in this investigation. We expect Google to respond to Vice-President Almunia’s offer to propose remedies without any delay to address the concerns that have been identified.” “It is essential that the European Commission ensures effective and sustainable solutions to the concerns expressed by publishers across Europe as regards Google’s activities as a news aggregator, as well as its role in the online search and advertising markets. Any future commitments offered by Google should be discussed in an open and transparent way involving all parties concerned,” Mr Rusdal added. ENPA members in a number of countries have raised concerns, or are actively involved in national or European complaints, regarding Google’s activities as a dominant online search engine and its market behaviour in the search and advertising markets.

For further information contact:

Francine Cunningham, Executive Director
email: francine.cunningham@enpa.be or tel: +32 (0) 2 551 01 90

The European Magazine Media Association, is the unique and complete representation of Europe’s magazine media, which is today enjoyed by millions of consumers on various platforms, encompassing both paper and digital formats.

www.magazinemedia.eu

The European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA) is the largest representative body of newspaper publishers across Europe. ENPA advocates for 14 national associations across 14 European countries, and is a principal interlocutor to the EU institutions and a key driver of media policy debates in the European Union.