(Bloomberg) — Amazon.com Inc.’s proposals to settle two European Union competition probes “appear relevant” to address concerns but might need some more improvements, according to the bloc’s antitrust chief.
(Bloomberg) — Amazon.com Inc.’s proposals to settle two European Union competition probes “appear relevant” to address concerns but might need some more improvements, according to the bloc’s antitrust chief.
The European Commission has started to assess industry feedback on the company’s offer concerning the use of non-public data from sellers on its marketplace and a possible bias in granting sellers access to its Buy Box and its Prime program, Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in prepared remarks for a speech in the US on Friday.
“The commitments offered by Amazon appear relevant to address the harm and have the potential to transform Amazon’s business model as a marketplace and retailer,” she said.
“But we are not there yet” and “are now in the process of assessing” feedback, “some of which pointed to potential improvements on several points.”
Amazon Seeks Antitrust Truce With EU as Scrutiny Intensifies
The settlement offer included a commitment to stop using data on independent sellers on its marketplace for its competing retail business, and “to apply equal treatment to all sellers when ranking their offers for the purposes of the selection of the winner” for a “buy box,” where Amazon highlights sellers of a particular product.
Earlier this month, a group of civil society groups and non-governmental organizations urged the commission to reject Amazon’s offer, saying the remedies are “weak, vague and full of loopholes.”
Instead, the commission should “continue vigorously to pursue its antitrust cases against Amazon, imposing remedies and penalties (on the Commission’s own terms) as necessary,” they said in a letter.
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