CORRECTED - EU stumbles on buying Microsoft alternatives

(Corrects spelling of European commissioner Kallas's name in 7th paragraph)

By David Lawsky

BRUSSELS, June 17 (Reuters) - The European Commission, a thorn in Microsoft's (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) side for its antitrust campaigns against the software giant, is falling short in its own internal attempt to promote more competition in the technology sector. The European Union executive has so far not followed its own policy that it purchase office software and operating systems with open standards as well Microsoft products.

"For the moment we are working in a Microsoft environment," said Christos Ellinides, director of corporate IT solutions and services, who recommends software for the Commission.

Last week European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes noted the Commission's pledge to buy open-standard software. "This policy, adopted last year, needs to be implemented with vigour," Neelie Kroes told an audience.

The policy requires all future procurement should promote software using "open, well-documented standards" that interoperates freely with other software, essentially in desktop and laptop machines. By using open-standard software, the Commission would signal it is practising what it preaches in terms of injecting more competition into computing.

Ellinides said in an interview arranged by a spokeswoman for Commissioner Siim Kallas, who oversees procurement, that studies showed the costs of moving to open source outweighed the benefits. He said it may be time for a new study.

"There is a decision that we will explore the possibility of initiating this study on an institutional basis," he said.

He said the Commission can already read and send data in open formats, but a lawyer for open-standards groups disagreed.