
EU Commission contemplating stricter merger control laws
The EU Commission is thinking of introducing stricter controls on company mergers, threatening to lengthen processes for minority stake acquisitions.
The EU Commission plans to introduce tighter merger laws for minority stake acquisitions. The plans were announced by a senior official of the EU body at the CMS Competition Conference in Brussels last Thursday, saying a green paper detailing the proposals would be released by the Commission before the end of its current term.
Law firm CMS warned that tighter controls on minority stake acquisitions, which are currently exempt from EU regulatory checks, would lengthen processes and increase the bureaucratic burden on the Commission in Brussels.
Germany's Federal Cartel Authority, however, welcomed the plans, stating that minority stake acquisitions often led to competitive problems in Germany, which would be better managed with the new checks.
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