Break up Google Inc. (GOOG)? It’s unlikely to happen, no matter what 384 European Union lawmakers say, according to ministers and officials.
Members of the EU parliament in Strasbourg, France voted 384-174 for the European Commission -- which is investigating Google for possible antitrust violations -- to consider “unbundling search engines from other commercial services.” The motion, which isn’t binding, didn’t mention Google by name.
Guenther Oettinger, the EU’s digital economy commissioner, said he didn’t think breaking-up Google “is what we can expect” after the vote to bolster search-engine competition.
Google, which has a market share of more than 90 percent for Internet search in some European countries, faces an assault on its business from across the bloc. It was criticized by privacy regulators this week, targeted by German politicians who urged the EU to push on with the antitrust probe and faces a possible levy on Internet copyright, adding to a Spanish law that lets publishers charge for web content.
The vote “doesn’t have any legal value” Axelle Lemaire, France’s secretary of state for digital affairs, told reporters in Brussels. It “simply expresses the wish of the newly elected European parliamentarians and does this in a strong manner.”
Al Verney, a spokesman for Google in Brussels, declined to comment on the vote.
Members of the European assembly cheered the result, which adds urgency to a antitrust probe that is two days short of its fourth birthday. A planned settlement to settle the case was delayed by negative feedback from rivals. Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s antitrust chief who took office on Nov. 1, said earlier this month she would decide where the probe goes after she has spoken to companies affected by Google’s behavior.
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