Brussels, 13/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - HOTREC, the umbrella Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafes in Europe, and UEAPME, the employers' organisation representing the interests of European crafts, trades and SMEs, have decided to get involved in the heated debate about the suitability of the commitments offered by US internet giant Google in response to accusations of abuse of its dominant position on the online search ads market. As more than a third of bookings in the European hotel sector are already made via real-time online channels or hotels' own booking engines, especially independent and small hotels as well as restaurants and other SMEs are very much dependent on proper online visibility. HOTREC and UEAPME say that Google's commitments “do not provide sufficient guarantees to ensure fair online searches for the benefits of all businesses and consumers alike”. The associations share the view that a clear differentiation between commercial and natural search results needs to be ensured and they are calling on the Commission not to close the competition case against Google on the basis of the commitments offered by the company in February 2014. (EL)