EU to announce formal antitrust charges against Amazon: source

(Reuters) – The European Commission is expected to file formal antitrust charges against Amazon.com Inc on Tuesday over its dual role as a marketplace for merchants and as a retailer competing to sell the same products, according to a source familiar with the matter.

EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager has scheduled a 1230 CET (1130 GMT) news conference without specifying the subject.

The Financial Times earlier reported that Vestager will announce formal antitrust charges against Amazon on Tuesday over how it uses data about the merchants on its platform.

The European Commission declined to comment.

Reuters last month reported that EU antitrust regulators may narrow the scope of their year-long investigation into Amazon to speed up the case.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee in Brussels and Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva)