European lawmakers are working on a proposal to split Google’s search operations in European Union countries from the rest of its business, in a bid to quell the company’s unfettered dominance of the Web search market, The Financial Times reported.
The non-binding resolution by the European parliament is likely designed to put pressure on the EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, to take a tougher stance on the US giant.
According to the FT, German centre-right and centre-left politicians form the core faction in the EU’s parliament. Current German nominee for the position of EU digital commissioner, Günther Oettinger, has already called for imposing charges on Google for displaying copyrighted content. He also favours forcing the US firm to produce neutral search results, an issue that also consumes rivals in Google’s home market.
Google is at the heart of EU concerns over US dominance of Internet services. While the European parliament does not have the power to break up companies, it has significant influence on the commission, which is responsible for initiating EU legislation.
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