Following the European Court of Justice decision that citizens have the ‘right to be forgotten,’ Google is scrambling to abide by the court ruling as it attempts to repair its image with Europeans.

Google dismissed the push to remove embarrassing search results as attempts to curtail free speech but is now acknowledging that it should have approached the controversy differently.

“I wish we’d been more involved in a real debate in Europe,” Google CEO Larry Page was quoted as saying in The Financial Times. “That’s one of the things we’ve taken from this, that we’re starting the process of really going and talking to people.”

Page’s remarks suggest a new stance from Google, which this week introduced the first applications to allow users to submit ‘right to be forgotten’ requests.

Following the May 12 court decision, Google on Friday (May 30) announced a digital hotline through which Europeans can file complaints when links to embarrassing personal information about them turns up in a search of their names, according to an Associated Press report.

“The complaints will be vetted and removed unless a company-appointed panel says the public’s right to access the information outweighs a complainant’s right to privacy,” AP reported.

The search engine remains dominant in Europe, with a 90 percent market share, but it has been criticized by competitors, consumer rights groups and politicians.

Part of Google’s counter-offensive on the court ruling includes increased lobbying efforts across Europe. The company posted help-wanted ads seeking “bright, well-organized and spirited individuals to work with a stellar team on cutting edge technology issues” at its offices in Berlin, Rome, London and Brussels, and the job involve lobbying, according to AP.

“You will handle our various product agendas with policy makers inside and outside government,” according to a Berlin ad.