How Google's 'in-house' results always come out on top: EU investigation shows search giant buries rival sites The web giant was criticised for failing to show the search results of rival services such as weather or maps By Paul Milligan Users of Google in Europe will enjoy a greater choice of results, after an EU investigation uncovered Google was giving prominence to its own services. The report from Brussels was especially concerned about the lack of visibility of rival services - such as maps or weather - on Google. Google is to provide the European Commission with a list of concessions this week in a bid to head off formal charges and a large fine. Google has been admonished by the EU for not making it clear when a result is a promoted link and when it is the normal result of the search engine This news is significant because once the concessions have been submitted it will signify the very first time Google has bowed to regulatory pressure. What will be in the concessions package is unknown at present, but Joaquin Almunia, the EU's competition chief, has suggested the settlement will go further than changing the labelling of Google services. Speaking to the New York Times, Mr Almunia said: 'Maybe we will ask Google to signal what are the relevant options, alternative options, in the way they present the results.' The investigation by the EU, which begin in November 2010, identified two areas of concern in Google's search practices and favourable treatment of its own services. Google was criticised for not making the distinction clear between a promoted link and the normal result of the search engine. Google is set to offer the EU a list of concessions to head off a large fine or potential legal action However, the EU also dismissed several other allegations made by complainants, including the demotion of rival services. Complainants in this case are believed to include Expedia, Microsoft and TripAdvisor. Only this week some of Google's rivals submitted a new complaint over the prominence of its own services in the Android mobile operating system. That case will be heard by the Commission after the settlement over the search engine issue has been concluded. 'Google is dominant in web search and therefore an important source of traffic for competing specialised search services,' said a Commission spokesperson. These services depend on access to traffic. We are worried that the diversion of traffic could reduce choices to invest and innovate in specialised search, which could in the end reduce the quality and choice of services available to users. The EU has taken a very different position to Google's dominance than its American counterpart, the US Federal Trade Commission, which has given Google's search engine a pass to continue as it is.