Competition Commissioner Mario Monti told the Associated Press, “It’s definitely too early to say to what extent the settlement in the US resolves those concerns which have been identified in our statements of objections.”
On 30th August, the Commission informed Microsoft in a Statement of Objections that it believed that the company may have violated European antitrust rules by using illegal practices to extend its dominant position in the market for personal computer operating systems into the market for low-end server operating systems.
The Commission also alleged that Microsoft was illegally tying its Media Player with Windows. This Statement of Objections supplemented one sent to the company a year ago and extended the Commission's concerns that Microsoft's actions may harm innovation and restrict choice for consumers.
The Commission will hear from industry representatives on 20th and 21st December.