European Commission tight-lipped on Google anti-trust investigation

The European Commission (EC) has still to decide whether or not it will charge Google with anti-competition practices, according to reports.

Competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia said that due to the intricate nature of the investigation, which has been ongoing for over 18 months, the EC is still to make a decision but is working through the information it has gathered.

"We are not yet there. This is a complex case. We are not in a hurry. We are very serious [about the investigation]," he told Reuters on Friday.

Alumnia also confirmed that he had yet to decide whether or not to issue the firm with a formal statement of objections, despite leaks last year suggesting a document of some 400 pages would be sent to the firm detailing its concerns.

The investigation into Google has received the backing of several of its rivals including Microsoft, while the firm is also facing a similar hearing in the US, with executive chairman Eric Schmidt forced to deny the firm ever "cooked" search results to favour its own services.

Google has faced a tough week with European regulators, with several data watchdogs in Europe, including the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), confirming they are considering re-opening investigations into the gathering of Wi-Fi data by its Street View cars.