Page following the well-known IT giant in 2009 "Intel" the EU fined "one billion euros", just less than six months.25th of this month, the British "Daily Telegraph", and burst-known Web search engine Google, for alleged monopoly in Europe, the European Commission will be possible for Google to open a ticket out of 2.4 billion U.S. dollars, equivalent to annual income of 236 Googlebillion a percent.Microsoft has created more than 2.2 billion before the even higher, which once again set a European Union body of non-monopoly of foreign technology fined the amount of the Internet industry, "a new high."
What is frequently forced to pressure the European Commission, such as GOOGLE, Microsoft, Intel and the like in the international U.S. companies, why not? In fact the answer is simple: that the EU can do so, the EU has been asked to do so, and suppress the EU enterprisecompared to the monopoly and illegal acts, the European Union compete with the large foreign companies even more easily.
First, the European Union have the right to
In fact, in many policy issues, the European Commission to force the pressure and the blow was very limited.The EU is not a federal agency, nor as an independent national government, but rather a joint body composed of a number of countries, therefore, in most policy issues, is the need to final decision by the EU governments, but in few areas, EU member states have the right to act jointly on behalf of all 27 countries.
This means that if one of the major companies among its members the competition by non-allied enterprises especially in the "high tech and the Internet" These non-traditional industries, can ask the league to the other member countries to resist.This makes the foreign high-tech enterprise without the formation of the large system in the EU more difficult to survive (many household electrical appliance enterprises in China and commodity enterprises have been sold over the EU sanctions against aggression).This from both Microsoft and Intel in the past from the case, we can see that foreign companies as long as the EU, affecting consumers and the interests of EU companies to directly take the appropriate "constraint" means you can understand.
Second, the EU was asked to do so
The European Commission will be possible for Google to open a 2.4 billion U.S. dollars in tickets by the announcement, the European Commission confirmed that it has asked Google to respond the charges, but has not yet started a formal investigation procedure.Google claimed the accused party investigation in a "collection of factual evidence" stage.For the three sites on Google's alleged abuse of dominant position in search, Google is responsible for European competition lawyer Julia Holtz Affairs (Julia Holtz) are all to be denied.
In fact, before the EU sanctions against Microsoft, when presented, including Intel, Yahoo, AOL Time Warner Inc., Fujitsu and Nokia are all major companies including Microsoft, to attack, even the protagonist of "Google" is alsohave expressed their interest in joining the "EU" anti-Microsoft alliance.
Google is now definitely off a little regret that the original support of his "anti-Microsoft" decision, and now "The EU sanctions against myself," This is the so-called wall to push all of his old competitors ah, certainly in the "monopoly" on the bigan issue that had to make people think, "This has been a bad fall today, just announced in January withdrawal-directed farce in China, the final taste of the commercial fruit weight of" consequences. "
Do not speak out earlier Microsoft case, said the sanctions in 2009 was the protagonist of "Intel", but also by its major competitors do not, AMD has been encouraging relevant EU institutions focused effort to address Intel's "monopoly", and finally a huge EU fine"one billion euros" welcome the initiative and excitement, you can glimpse a leopard makes me know the whole picture.
Moreover, the relevant market research firm Zacks analyst also said that had dominated Europe for Google search and advertising market companies dissatisfaction, it is possible to use this opportunity to express their concerns.Italy and Germany currently publishing company, and the German site has a map to their respective national anti-monopoly agency appeal, a move that will undoubtedly add to speed up the pace of the European Union accused Google.This also has some analysts also believe that the EU will have a chance to solve the "Google too powerful" question, I agree with this point of comparison.
Third, the EU force to force the pressure than the pressure of foreign enterprise alliance enterprises more easily
In fact, in addition to high-tech, the Internet industry, the European Commission within Europe often punish companies that breach competition law.So far, the EU similar to the maximum out of the ticket is for the French Saint-Gobain (Saint-Gobain) glass manufacturing company in 2008, Saint-Gobain European Union fined the company 1.2 billion, also including Germany's Siemens, the company, and Eni of ItalySwiss drug manufacturer Hoffman - Roche (Hoffmann - LaRoche) companies, these companies are also fines totaling over 2 billion dollars.
However, due to political factors, the EU often face greater pressure inside, even if these companies are the monopoly of big companies, but some of the audit may involve a number of state-owned companies, including telecommunications, postal services, energy and operating companies, the Highways.Some EU governments still hold shares in these companies or these companies play an important influence, so they may have opposed the intervention of the European Union, and may start to take some measures to block the EU antitrust investigation.So, while the European Commission has said it will insist on speaking with facts, not for political reasons, but these arguments tend to be questioned.In 2009, with the important case about to emerge - France Telecom-related cases to the European Union anti-monopoly "fairness" was a serious test.
In summary, we can easily see that the EU so-called "anti-monopoly system", in fact, but also for its core members the main service, and once the threat of large foreign enterprises to the State Enterprise System in the core, the EU will show up onthe pressure.