The European Commission on Monday issued its formal "statement of objections" over Oracle's planned acquisition of Sun Microsystems, saying the deal would harm competition in the database market.

The European Union (EU)'s antitrust agency may force Microsoft to include rival browsers in Windows, according to a regulatory filing submitted last week by the US software developer.

The European Union's antitrust agency on Saturday confirmed that it has charged Microsoft with breaking the law, saying that the company "shields" Internet Explorer (IE) from "head-to-head competition" by bundling its browser with Windows.

Broadband access to the internet should be a universal service for all European Union citizens, the European Commission said Thursday as it launched a debate on the issue with policy makers, industry and the public.

As tensions mount over the global trade in IT products, the European Commission has called for a broad discussion among all producer countries about what goods should and should not be slapped with customs duties, as well as talks on other barriers to trade, commonly called non-tariff barriers.

The European Union is refining a set of guidelines that would strengthen its ability to respond to computer security crises as well as ensure Internet infrastructure in member countries is more resilient.

Microsoft's plan to strip out its Internet Explorer (IE) browser from Windows 7 in Europe, due for sale in the fall, is designed to force the European Commission's hand as it devises an antitrust remedy to restore fair competition in the browser market, said Jon von Tetzchner, the CEO of Norwegian browser maker Opera.

The European Commission unveiled a long-awaited draft recommendation Friday for how to create new fiber-optic-based telecommunication networks throughout Europe, but the move was heavily criticized from both sides in the debate over next-generation networks.

The European Commission is seeking to strengthen cooperation between law enforcement and private industry worldwide as well as increase penalties for those engaged in cybercrime, a senior official said on Wednesday.