The European Commission is to scrutinise a decision by Microsoft to make its Office programme compatible with a rival format.
With the US software giant embroiled in a stand-off with Europe's top competition watchdog, the company said on Wednesday that Office would support the competing Open Document Format (ODF) from the first half of 2009.
In a short reaction, the commission said that it had 'taken note' of the announcement and would 'welcome any step that Microsoft took towards genuine inter-operability'.
The European Commission has long accused Microsoft of abusing its dominant market power by making software that is incompatible with products made by its rivals.
In September, Microsoft lost an appeal before Europe's second-highest court against a fine of nearly €500m EU regulators slapped on the company in 2004 for abusing its dominant market power.
Since its court victory, the European Commission has launched a new investigation targeting the inter-operability of a broad range of software, including Microsoft's popular Office package, with rival products.
In February, the commission hit Microsoft with a further fine of €899m for defying its 2004 ruling. Microsoft has lodged an appeal against the decision.
