The EU and Google: new Commission, old issue

On the 1st of November the new European Commission led by Jean-Claud Juncker will take office.
On their table, they might find a thorny case that was left unsolved by their predecessors: Google.

Before leaving his office, the current commissioner for Competition, Mr. Almunia, asked Google to take action and solve a situation that, according to European authorities, limits competition in market. Although in a statement he declared that he hopes to find a solution by end of October, there is no guarantee that this will happen, especially considering that the Commission has repeatedly rejected proposals from Google to find a friendly agreement.

Google is accused by European authorities to limit competition by advertising its own services instead of those of competitors. A truth that the giant of the web might find hard to disprove. Whether this will lead to sanctions such as the ones imposed by the Commission on Microsoft in the past, however, remains to be seen.


Source:  Il Sole 24 Ore

Entrepreneurship in Europe

Throughout this class we had the chance to meet speakers from a number of exciting new Internet companies such as Thrillist, Etsy and FreeWheel. All this innovation is quite impressive -- but, being from Europe, I do wonder: why can't we replicate this in Europe? Why does European entrepreneurship usually start and end with "fast followers" (a fancy word for knock-off)?

While it might not have any definitive answers, this week's Economist does have a lengthy and interesting article about the state of entrepreneurship in Europe. The general development seems to be positive, with red tape being reduced, some first start-ups that pioneer new concepts in Europe instead of the US (such as ever-present vente-privee.com) and VCs finally discovering the European market. On the other hand, many obstacles -- in some cases quite unbelievable -- still remain. Did you know, for example, that any equity stake is taxed immediately in Germany? If this stokes your interest, go read the entire article.

Google Doubleclick to be investigated in the EU

Following on the conversation about Google and Doubleclick, the deal is being investigated by the EU competition authorities. A deadline of April 2008 has been put on the investigation so more to follow.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7093379.stm