EU to probe Amazon for anti-competitive behaviour

BRUSSELS, July 17 (KUNA) -- The European Commission Wednesday opened a formal investigation to assess whether giant US online retailer Amazon used sensitive data from independent retailers in breach of EU competition rules.
EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who is in charge of competition policy, said in a statement that, "European consumers are increasingly shopping online. E-commerce has boosted retail competition and brought more choice and better prices. We need to ensure that large online platforms don't eliminate these benefits through anti-competitive behaviour." "I have therefore decided to take a very close look at Amazon's business practices and its dual role as marketplace and retailer, to assess its compliance with EU competition rules," she added.
Amazon has a dual role as a platform, selling products on its website and as a retailer providing a marketplace where independent sellers can sell products directly to consumers. (end) nk.nam