EU set to accept Visa Europe antitrust offer: sources

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU regulators will next month accept Visa Europe's pledge to cut its debit card fees and drop antitrust charges that could have brought a fine to the payments network, two sources familiar with the case said on Thursday.

The European Commission's decision follows a market test on Visa Europe's proposals in late May. The EU watchdog had charged the credit and debit card network in 2009 for blocking competition with its debit fees. The Commission is expected to announce its decision on December 8, one of the sources said.

The 0.2 percent fee is set to come into effect in February and will be legally binding for four years. It will apply for cross-border transactions and for domestic purchases in nine EU countries, including Ireland, Italy and Sweden.

Visa Europe is the European licensee of Visa Inc..

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, editing by Rex Merrifield)