According to the Telegraph (UK), the investigation comes under the Lisbon Treaty's "abuse of dominant position" powers and marks the first time
that Google has been targeted by the European Union.
Under the headline, "Why Europe could prove
Google's undoing," the Guardian (UK) writes: "Even if Google defends itself against allegations of anti-competitive behavior, a European investigation could spark all sorts of trouble."
Sure, "The inquiry is at an 'early, fact-finding stage' and may not result in any further action, but it's clearly got Google worried," insists Digital Daily.
"It was the EC, after all, that ultimately beat Microsoft into submission and forced it to alter its business practices."
"Over the past decade, European regulators have fined other American technology giants like Microsoft and Intel billions of dollars for
violating antitrust laws," writes The New York Times.
In turn, "Antitrust experts said Google's decision to publicize the complaints itself -- on a company blog -- showed the
company's determination to try and stop the case before it advanced any further," i.e., nip it in the bud.