Amazon's business model is coming under fresh scrutiny, with the EU set to launch a formal investigation into how the retail giant uses data from other merchants that sell goods on its websites, according to
EU set to probe Amazon's use of merchants' data on its website
A formal probe will allow regulators to flesh out their main concerns. It could ultimately lead to fines or to force Amazon to change its business practices.
Amazon declined to comment but in the past the company has highlighted how it operates in vast markets with multiple competitors and that online sales are a small fraction of the overall retail market.
The European Commission also declined to comment.
The move against Amazon comes close to the end of Vestager's five-year tenure as competition commissioner, a period in which she has built an international reputation by launching antitrust and state-aid probes against titans of the digital economy.
"It is an important move and a statement against the big tech giants," said Andrea Collart, competition partner at Avisa Partners. "The feeling is that Amazon is so present in so many markets that it is too big to regulate."
"Competition enforcement can be the sling used by David to defeat Goliath," he added.
The formal probe into Amazon follows a string of EU competition cases against US tech giants, including a €4.3 billion ($7.1b) fine on Google in July for alleged abuse of its dominant position in mobile operating systems, and a decision forcing Apple to pay €13b in back taxes to the Irish government.