To settle the European Union antitrust concerns, Microsoft said it is willing to add a so-calleed ballot screen to Windows 7 that will allow users to choose different Web browsers.

The European Commission, the administrative arm of the EU,said it welcomes the proposal and will continue to investigate "its practical effectiveness in terms of ensuring genuine consumer choice." The announcement from the European Commission was posted today.

Microsoft's proposal is a reversal of its previous strategy to head off a hefty fine: Removing Internet Explorer, Microsoft's browser, from all copies of Windows 7 in Europe when it becomes available Oct. 22.

While the matter is not officially settled, it appears more likely that this will end the European Commission's antitrust investigation into Microsoft in this case, which began in 2007 when Opera, a browser developer based in Oslo, Norway, filed a complaint with the commission.

"This is a happy day for us,"Hakon Wium Lie, Opera's chief technology officer, said by phone. "This will give users a genuine choice of a Web browser."

Here is the previousstory we did on Microsoft'sannouncement of plans to remove the browser.

Update 11:44 a.m.:

Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith just released a statement on the proposal, saying he expects the ballot screen will resolve the European concerns.

"We believe that if ultimately accepted, this proposal will fully address the European competition law issues relating to the inclusion of Internet Explorer in Windows and interoperability with our high-volume products. This would mark a big step forward in addressing a decade of legal issues and would be good news for European consumers and our partners in the industry."