EU: Amazon will offer data sharing to avoid a fine from antitrust authorities-sources | Photo credits: Joe Ravi / Shutterstock.com
by Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS, June 13 (Reuters) – Amazon is expected to offer to share certain marketplace data with sellers and improve the visibility of competing products on its platform, to persuade EU competition authorities to close their investigation without fining him by the end of the year, people familiar with the matter said.
The world’s largest e-commerce platform hopes the concessions will avert a possible fine from the European Union that could reach 10% of its global turnover, Reuters reported last year.
In 2020, the European Commission accused Amazon of using its size, power and data to promote its own products and gain an unfair advantage over rival merchants selling on its online platform.
Amazon has offered to allow sellers access to some of its data, while its own trading arm will not be able to use it, to assuage accusations of unfair competition, the sources said.
The company will also create a second purchase option for competing products in case an Amazon product appears as the top choice, they added. These measures aim to avoid the preferential treatment of which the giant is accused.
The European competition authority is expected to seek feedback from competitors and users in the coming weeks, which could lead to adjustments to the proposal and a final decision by the end of the year.
The European Commission and Amazon declined to comment. The company previously said it disagreed with the competition authority’s assertions. (Report Foo Yun Chee; French version Alizée Degorce, edited by Kate Entringer)