Amazon looks to settle antitrust investigations with European Commission to avoid heavy restrictions
Retail giant Amazon looks to settle two antitrust investigations to avoid fines and restrictions from the EU.
Last year, the European Commission charged the world’s biggest online retailer for using its size and power to promote its own products, giving it an unfair advantage against competitors.
The Commission also opened an investigation into Amazon’s possible preferential treatment into its own offers and products, monopolising on the sheer level of data it has on customers.
According to sources close to the company, Amazon is engaged in preliminary discussions with the competition enforcer and has offered concessions.
Crucially, an offer to settle gives a company an opportunity to limit the regulatory demands for changes to business practices.
However, earlier this year, Alphabet unsuccessfully tried to settle a deal with the EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager.
Vestager is notoriously tough on the likes of Facebook and Apple, and settlement talks can take months to go through.
The Commission, which can fine companies up to 10 per cent of their global turnover, are yet to comment.