Google has promised to make "significant" changes to how rivals appear in search results in an attempt to avoid a multi-billion euro fine.

The latest changes should be sufficient to end a three-year investigation into the search company, the EU's competition commissioner said.

Google had been accused of giving favourable treatment to its own products in search results.

The company said it looked forward to resolving the matter.

France’s tax authorities have launched a 1 billion euro tax claim against Google, it was reported today.

It follows financial inspectors searching the Paris offices of the internet giant in June 2011 as it investigated their accounting.

Google has reduced the amount of tax it pays in France by channelling its revenue through a Dutch-registered intermediary and then to a Bermuda-registered holding, Google Ireland Limited, before reporting it in low-tax Ireland.

Google revealed Tuesday that its former CEO, Eric Schmidt, will receive $106 million in bonuses based on the search giant's 2013 performance.

Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) reported last week that its sales hit $16.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013 alone, up 17% versus a year prior.

Schmidt served as Google's CEO from 2001 to 2011, and is now executive chairman.

Schmidt is set to receive $100 million in restricted stock that will vest over four years beginning in 2015, and as well as a $6 million cash bonus. It's safe to say he doesn't really need the money -- Forbes pegged his net worth at $8.3 billion as of September.