The EU Commission blocks the proposed takeover of a Finnish tissue paper manufacturer by its Swedish competitor (Mölnlycke / Metsä Tissue)

"Merger Control: Main developments between 1st January 2001 and 30th April 2001"* On 31 January 2001, the Commission blocked the proposed takeover of Finnish tissue paper manufacturer Metsä Tissue by its Swedish competitor SCA Mölnlycke on competition grounds. This was only the 14th time that the Commission has prohibited a merger since 1990, out of a total of over 1,500 cases notified for regulatory clearance in the past 10 years. As this indicates, prohibition is clearly a decision of last resort when the companies did not