French merger regime: The French Minister of Economy authorises a merger due to countervailing effects (Cegid/CCMX)

*This article is an automatic translation of the original article, provided here for your convenience. Read the original article. – Min. Éco, October 19, 2004, CEGID SA / CCMX Holding, aff. C2004-122 On 19 October 2004, the Minister for the Economy gave the go-ahead for the acquisition by CEGID of sole control of CCMX, even though the notified operation led to the merger of the two leading operators on the market, thus giving the new entity a size three times larger than its closest competitor. The present decision is of particular interest in that a rather strict and very detailed market definition compared to the standard for decisions in this sector contrasts with a very dynamic competitive analysis which ultimately relies little on this definition. With regard to the definition