The European Commission's competition chief Joaquin Almunia said on Tuesday he is still waiting for Google to sweeten its antitrust offer.

In a speech to the EU's Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) committee that was published on the Commission's Website, Almunia said Google must improve upon its earlier proposals otherwise it will face a Statement of Objections, bringing it a step closer to formal charges.

Google has submitted various concessions over the last four years in order to fend off accusations that it deliberately ranks results from its own specialist search services – like those used to find hotels, restaurants, products and so on – ahead of those from rivals. The complainants allege that such a practice is unfair in light of Google's dominance of the search market.

Brussels appeared satisfied with the latest proposals, submitted in February, but the complainants were not.

"Some of the 20 formal complainants have given us fresh evidence and solid arguments against several aspects of the latest proposals put forward by Google," said Almunia on Tuesday. "We now need to see if Google can address these issues and allay our concerns."

He said that if Google's response is "in the right direction" then the antitrust negotiations will continue. "Otherwise, the logical next step is to prepare a Statement of Objections."

A Statement of Objections will see the Commission formally notify Google in writing of the complaint against it. If Google is not able to negotiate a settlement that alleviates the complaint, it could face a fine.