John Kemp works as Case Handler at European Commission, DG COMP (Directorate General for Competition).
301
"Mergers : Recent Developments and Important Decisions"* In many ways typical of the new power to accept formal undertakings to remedy competition problems at Phase I was ABB/Elsag Bailey Process Automation NV. This concerned the acquisition by the ABB engineering and technology group of Elsag (...)
702
"Mergers : Recent Developments and Important Decisions"* In Canal+/CDPQ/BankAmerica, the spill-over effects were found on a market upstream from the joint venture. The joint venture itself concerned pay-TV in France; but competition problems were found to result in the market for the (...)
472
"Mergers : Recent Developments and Important Decisions"* The Commission decided to open detailed enquiry into a proposed joint venture between British Telecom and the US firm AT&T, two of the world’s largest telecommunications operators. The joint venture will provide a broad range of (...)
477
"Mergers : Recent Developments and Important Decisions"* In Enso/Stora, the Commission’s initial analysis suggested that oligopoly issues were likely to arise. The merging parties – Enso of Finland and Stora of Sweden, would together make the largest integrated paper and board group in the (...)
233
"Mergers : Recent Developments and Important Decisions"* In (Skanska/Scancem) the Commission’s investigation focussed on the markets for cement and concrete (both dry and ready-mixed) and concrete products in Sweden, Finland and Norway. The combined market shares produced by the merger were in (...)
207
"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 (...)
295
"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 (...)
324
"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 (...)
140
"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 (...)
160
"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 (...)
158
"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 (...)
255
"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 (...)
152
"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 & (...)
149
"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 (...)
194
"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 (...)
249
"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. (...)
164
"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. (...)
167
"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 (...)
173
"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 (...)
322
"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 (...)
177
"Mergers : Recent Developments and Important Decisions"* A change to the Merger Regulation whose effects can now be seen more clearly is the inclusion within its scope of operations known as ‘full function co-operative joint ventures’ (FFCJVs). The aim of the change is, broadly, to increase (...)
147
"Mergers : Recent Developments and Important Decisions"* An important change to the Merger Regulation concerned the suspension period within which a notified transaction cannot be implemented without special dispensation from the Commission (Article 7). Initial experience confirms the (...)
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