Brussels homes in on Google antitrust case

The European Commission is homing in on a list of concerns about Google’s business practices that could form the basis of an antitrust complaint against the US internet search group.

The narrowing of the investigation to issues red flagged by Brussels marks a turning point in an inquiry that has been running for almost two years. However, the commission has yet to decide whether to bring a formal complaint against the company or lay out its concerns in detail, said people familiar with the situation. News that the European case has moved into a more advanced phase comes just days before Eric Schmidt, Google’s chairman, is due to meet Joaquín Almunia, the European competition commissioner.