Google’s proposals to increase competition in online shopping are bearing fruit, Europe’s antitrust chief said on Friday, suggesting that the company may be able to avoid further fines. Alphabet Inc’s Google last year offered to allow price-comparison rivals to bid for advertising space at the top of a search page, giving them the chance to compete on equal terms, seeking to appease regulators after the European Commission fined it a record 2.4 billion euros ($2.8 billion) for favouring its own service. European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said she saw further improvement since Google’s first report in June showed some rivals had benefited from the company’s action.
