Geraldine Emberger

"Mergers: Recent developments and important decisions"* In the case Danish Crown/Vestjyske Slagterier the Commission concluded that the operation would have led to the creation of a duopolistically dominant position of the parties together with another large Danish co-operative slaughterhouse. (...)

"Mergers: Recent developments and important decisions"* The decision in Astra/Zeneca marks the first time in the pharmaceutical sector where commitments were required to clear the concentration. In view of the ongoing consolidation of the pharmaceutical industry, such situations may become (...)

"Mergers: Recent developments and important decisions"* In KLM/Martinair, the European Commission decided to open a full investigation based on competition concerns regarding the supply of flights from Dutch airports (notably Amsterdam/Schiphol) to tour operators and individual ‘leisure’ (...)

"Mergers: Recent developments and important decisions"* In London Electricity/Electricité de France (EdF) the United Kingdom authorities both requested a referral under Article 9(4) and in parallel invoked Article 21(3) of the Merger Regulation, (the latter is based on the necessity to protect (...)

"Mergers : Recent Developments and Important Decisions"* In Worldcom/MCI, at the time of its announcement the plan to effect a US$37 billion merger between these two US telecoms companies was the largest merger plan in corporate history. The case was notified to the EU and US competition (...)

"Mergers : Recent Developments and Important Decisions"* Major Phase II decisions concerned two proposed concentrations in the German pay-tv sector. In a first step CLT-UFA, a joint venture between Bertelsmann AG and Audiofina SA, and Kirch, the leading supplier of cinema films and TV (...)

"Mergers : Recent Developments and Important Decisions"* In Price Waterhouse/Coopers & Lybrand, cleared on 20 May, the Commission examined the possibility that the proposed merger would create collective – oligopolistic or duopolistic - dominance, as well as the more usual concern over (...)

"Mergers : Recent Developments and Important Decisions"* In ITS/Signode/Titan, cleared on 6 May, the Commission assessed competition in the supply of steel and plastic strapping in Western Europe following the completion of this joint venture. Whereas the initial examination of the case (...)

"Mergers Recent important decisions" On 5 May 1998 the Commission approved an operation creating a joint venture between Thyssen Krupp Stahl and ITW Signode The joint venture will produce both steel and plastic strapping in Germany for sale in Western Europe and the rest of the world. The (...)

"Mergers Recent important decisions" The Commission decided on 21 April 1998 to clear the acquisition of BTR’s Packaging Business Group (BTR Packaging) by Owens-Illinois, Inc(Owens-Illinois), subject to commitments submitted to the Commission. The decision marks the first occasion of the use of (...)

"Mergers Recent important decisions" On 2 April 1998 the Commission approved Nestlé’s acquisition of the Spillers pet food business from Dalgety. Nestlé of Switzerland is engaged in a wide range of food businesses including pet food. Dalgety of Britain is active in agribusiness, food distribution (...)

"Mergers Recent important decisions" On 4 December 1997 Wienerberger Baustoffindustrie AG (“Wienerberger”) and Deutsche Steinzeug Cremer & Breuer (“Cremer & Breuer”) notified their intention to combine their activities in the area of clay sewage pipes in a joint venture. Cremer & (...)

"Mergers Recent important decisions" On 10 March 1998 the Commission decided to refer partially to the competent Italian authorities («Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato« ) the examination of the acquisition by the French retailing group Promodès of joint control with Schemaventuno(a (...)

"Mergers Recent important decisions" The proposed merger of Wolters Kluwer and Reed Elsevier was notified to the Commission on 10 November 1997. After initial examination it was concluded that the operation gave rise to serious competitive concerns in a number of national markets for (...)

"Mergers Recent important decisions" On 18 February 1998 the Commission announced that it had fined the Korean company Samsung ECU 33,000 for failing to notify a concentration to the Commission in good time and for putting into effect the concentration without the Commission’s authorisation. (...)

"Mergers Recent important decisions"* In September 1997, Agfa-Gevaert NV and Agfa-Gevaert AG notified their intention to acquire the graphic arts films businesses of EI Dupont de Nemours & Co (Dupont). The operation concerned the sectors for graphic arts film and offset printing plates. (...)

"Mergers Recent important decisions" On 23 December 1997 the Commission was notified of the proposed merger between KPMG and Ernst & Young, two of the so-called ‘Big Six’ worldwide accountancy and audit firms. On 5 February 1998 the Commission announced its intention to carry out a detailed (...)

"Mergers Recent important decisions" On 4 February, 1998 the undertakings Schweizerische Bankgesellschaft (SBG) and Schweizerischer Bankverein (SBV), two Swiss based companies active in private and corporate banking and in the financial services business world wide, notified their proposal to (...)

"Mergers Recent important decisions" In September 1997, the Swiss pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche proposed to acquire Corage Ltd., ultimate parent company of the Boehringer Mannheim Group (BM). After a preliminary appreciation of the case the Commission concluded that in clinical (...)