Alphabet's Pichai to hold video call with EU antitrust chief Jan. 25

FILE PHOTO: Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, speaks on artificial intelligence during a Bruegel think tank conference in Brussels, Belgium January 20, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman

Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai will hold a video-conference call with EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager on Jan. 25, according to a European Commission schedule published on Friday.

Vestager, who is pushing for tough new rules to rein in U.S. tech giants Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon, will discuss digital and competition issues with Pichai, a Commission spokeswoman said.

Vestager's proposed tech rules, announced last month, have set off a flurry of lobbying by the tech industry seeking to water down the proposals.

FILE PHOTO: European Executive Vice- President Margrethe Vestager gives a news conference on antitrust case at European Commission in Brussels, Belgium November 26, 2020. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/Pool

Companies have now shifted their attention to EU lawmakers and EU countries, which together with the Commission will thrash out the new rules before they come into force.

Pichai has previously held video-conference calls with EU industry chief Thierry Breton, who is championing the bloc's strategic autonomy and independence from U.S. tech giants in various areas.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)