EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said regulators were as keen as Google to avoid lengthy proceedings due to the fast-moving nature of the technology industry and said that if remedies were offered by Google within the coming weeks, the antitrust investigation could be brought to a close.

"I believe that these fast moving markets would particularly benefit from a quick resolution of the competition issues identified. Restoring competition swiftly to the benefit of users at an early stage is always better than lengthy proceedings," Almunia told a news briefing.