European Commission Vice President for Competition Policy Joaquín Almunia says the EC will charge Samsung for its use of injunctions against Apple in Europe "very soon," according to Reuters. The commission has been investigating Samsung for a possible breach of antitrust rules since January, and earlier this week the Korean manufacturer dropped all of its injunctions (and injunction requests) against Apple products in Europe.

"We will issue a Statement of Objections very soon," says Almunia. The Statement of Objections, or SO, will inform Samsung of the charges raised against it, and allows the manufacturer the chance to argue its case in writing, or request a hearing. It's common for companies to converse with investigators before the SO is made public, so the chances are Samsung has had a good look at all of the EC's complaints already. Although we'll have to wait for the commission's report, it seems clear now that Samsung's recent actions to not pursue injunctions against Apple products in Europe had more to do with avoiding the wrath of the EU than "protecting consumer choice" as it tried to spin the announcement.