Should Microsoft Be Excluded From EU Government Sales?

David Gerard writes "From Groklaw: Heidi Rühle, a Green Party MEP, has presented a question regarding whether or not Microsoft should be considered as having failed to fulfill the conditions to participate in public procurement procedures in Europe, as laid out in Article 93(b) and (c) of Financial Regulation — '(b) they have been convicted of an offense concerning their professional conduct by a judgment which has the force of res judicata; (c) they have been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the contracting authority can justify' — and the Commission anti-trust penalty just happens to fulfill both of those conditions." The EU Commission is required to respond within 6 weeks to such a question from a member of Parliament.

Big Problem for MSFT

[mfh]

The real question here is, how much would the necessary bribe be, and who is corrupt enough in the EU Commission to push this through for MSFT?

Also, will the next big US war be in the UK?

YES!

[garett_spencley]

Wait, what are we talking about ?

I heard "Microsoft" and "exclude from" ...

Re:Big Problem for MSFT

[Anonymous Coward]

> The real question here is, how much would the necessary bribe be, and who is corrupt enough in the EU Commission to push this through for MSFT?

Unfortunately, your US money is worthless. Mostly becuase you spunked away your whole economy with exactly the sort of short term corruption you seem to be advocating.

> Also, will the next big US war be in the UK?

In your dreams fat boy.

It depends ...

[PPH]

... if its a small government for sale, I think they should be allowed to buy it.

Leave the big ones, like Great Britain, for the US to buy.

Re:Ah, you forget...

[clickety6]

You forget that the USA population is growing

Yep, but as it's mostly around the waistline that they're growing, they'll all be dead of obesity-related illnesses by the time they're 40 ;-)

Re:Big Problem for MSFT

[Foobar of Borg]

Perhaps if Ballmer had to spend a few months behind bars?

You're not suggesting that corporate leaders have to actually pay for their crimes, are you? What kind of backwards place is Europe, anyway?

Re:Ah, you forget...

[meringuoid]

You forget that the USA population is growing, while Europe's population is in decline.

Actually, the population of the EU is increasing. Fast. We may not be doing an awful lot of breeding, but look at those borders go! We're the only major power on earth with an active policy of territorial expansion.

Re:Ah, you forget...

[tjstork]

USA - 2033 - 0 survivors.
EUR - 2033 - 0 survivors.
China - 2033 - 4 Billion.

Obviously, we need to make a bigger bomb, so we can get that all down to zero. That way, it will be:

USA - 2033 - 0 survivors.
EUR - 2033 - 0 survivors.
China - 2033 - 0 survivors.
Falkland Islands - 4 billion people.

Re:Big Problem for MSFT

[JustPutt2]

You can bet that someone way up in MS has just said "Ohhh Shit"