DoubleClick deal will be examined on competition grounds only

The European Union (EU) review of Google's $3.1bn (£1.5bn) bid for DoubleClick will focus solely on the competition aspects of the deal and not privacy issues.

The European Commission will decide by the end of the month whether to approve the deal or examine it further.

But privacy issues raised by the deal will not be taken into account at all, according to EU Commissioner Neelie Kroes.

"We are looking at the influence on competition and that is it," she said.

Google announced the proposed purchase of the online advertiser in April to bolster its sales of Internet ads.

The takeover would help the search giant expand its revenue model away from text-based advertisements published alongside search results into the growing display advertising market.

The DoubleClick deal is also facing an antitrust probe by US regulators.