EU antitrust boss tells US Senate to back off over Oracle

The outgoing European Commissioner on Competition Neelie Kroes has launched an astonishing attack on a request from 59 US senators for a speedy resolution to the takeover of Sun by Oracle.

Kroes, who leaves her post in January, used a speech in Brussels to attack the pressure being placed on the EU to approve the merger.

The EU has until 17 January to decide if it wants to block the deal.

She lambasted the senators for "interfering in someone else's decisions rather than taking the most important decision that you have control over: improving health care."

"Is this really more important than fixing your own health care system?" she asked in a speech, according to Associated Press.

She told the senators needed to "get their priorities straight".

Analysts are increasingly expecting the EU to come out against the Sun-Oracle merger.

The primary concern seems to be Oracle’s plans for the MySQL database.

MySQL is a direct competitor to Oracle’s own commercial products.

“Disagreement over the value of MySQL – both as a standalone entity and as part of a big company – lies at the heart of a bitter public battle between Oracle and the European Union over the Sun acquisition,” said Florian Mueller, a former MySQL shareholder.

“The fight illuminates a larger truth about open-source companies: their societal and strategic importance far exceeds their financial value as operating businesses."

One move Oracle is reportedly considering is hiving off MySQL into a separate firm with its own board of directors – a move it had initially rejected.