The FTC’s recent approval of Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick allows the company to move forward with plans here in the United States. However, the acquisition continues to face an investigation by the European Commission. There is some debate as to whether or not the U.S. decision will have any impact on the decision by the EU. Legal experts say that it’s likely to influence the decision and note that about eighty percent of transatlantic mergers see shared opinions from both sides of the waters. However, a spokesperson from the European Commission says that there is likely to be no impact. It’s noted that the data privacy laws in Europe are more stringent than here in the U.S. Readers in our forums have also suggested that Europe looks carefully at the activities of high-profile U.S. companies in their countries. The commission has until early April to make a final decision on the acquisition.