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The US tech giant has racked up EUR 2.2 billion in EU
antitrust fines in the previous decade for practices in breach of EU
competition rules, including tying or bundling two or more products together.
It has since then sought adopted a more conciliatory
approach with the European Commission.
The European Commission's investigation followed a complaint
by Salesforce-owned workspace messaging app Slack in 2020 and after the US tech
giant's offer of remedies failed to address the EU competition enforcer's
concerns.
The EU competition enforcer said it was concerned that
Microsoft may be abusing and defending its market position in productivity
software by restricting competition in the European communication and
collaboration products market.
"Remote communication and collaboration tools like
Teams have become indispensable for many businesses in Europe. We must
therefore ensure that the markets for these products remain competitive, and
companies are free to choose the products that best meet their needs," EU
antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Microsoft said Microsoft would continue
to co-operate with the European Commission and that the company remained
committed to finding solutions to address the Commission's concerns.
Reuters reported earlier this month that the EU antitrust
watchdog was set to open a probe after Microsoft declined to offer bigger price
cuts on its Office without Teams.
The European Commission hopes a price differential between
Office with Teams and Office without the app will ensure a level playing field
with rivals and give consumers more choice, people familiar with the matter
have told Reuters.
German rival alfaview last week filed a complaint similar to
Slack's with the EU executive. © Reuters
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