The EU executive Commission said today it was not split over the Microsoft antitrust case and rejected what it described as "distorted" media reports of disputes.
EU Competition Commissioner Mr Mario Monti's view of the Microsoft case is shared by Commission President Mr Romano Prodi and other key Commissioners, chief spokesman Mr Reijo Kemppinen told a news conference.
Several newspapers have recently said there is a split among the 20 Commissioners on what remedies to impose on Microsoft, but Mr Kemppinen characterised these as painting a "rather distorted picture of the decision-making procedures within the Commission".
The decision about Microsoft, investigated for abusing the dominant position of its Windows operating system, had been subject to comments by all other departments of the executive, the exact same process used in any important Commission ruling, he added.
"There has been no fighting, no bloody noses, no corpses floating around; no one has been angry with each other; no one has been attacking anybody else. It is simply what we do ahead of each important decision, bigger or smaller ... we call it collegial decision making," Mr Kemppinen said.
"The inter-service consultation went extremely well and it has been over for some time already," Mr Kemppinen said, referring to the discussion among the various Commission departments.
"There was a constructive discussion, and Commissioner Monti's approach has the backing of the president and of the commissioners whose job it is to follow this study closely," he added.
On Tuesday the Financial Times said EU Internal Market Commissioner Mr Frits Bolkestein had intervened in the debate over Microsoft to raise the issue of intellectual property rights and make sure a decision on Microsoft was not too harsh.