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CR Focus 3rd April 2007

To visit the "Cartel Watch" section, click here.

European Notifications and Publications
Mergers - Invitation to Comment

European Mergers - Requests for Comments >>>more>>>

Mergers Cleared

Citibank/Egg >>>more>>>

Alstom UK/Balfour Betty >>>more>>>

NTN/SNR >>>more>>>

Investor AB/Morgan Stanley Group/Mölynlycke Healthcare Care UK Ltd >>>more>>>

Sagard/Cognetas/Groupe Saint-Gobain Desjoncqueres >>>more>>>

Cartels

Bathroom fittings and fixtures >>>more>>>

State Aid

Lists of State Aid >>>more>>>

Speeches

Neelie Kroes speech: "More competition and greater energy security in the Single European Market for electricity and gas" >>>more>>>

Danuta Hübner speech: "Growth and competitiveness in Europe: a case for strong cohesion policy" >>>more>>>

Miscellaneous

European Commission: 12th Implementation Report on EU telecom market published >>>more>>>

European Commission: i2010 Annual Report on information and communication technology published >>>more>>>

European Commission: Spain referred to ECJ for failure to withdraw certain conditions relating to national approval of E.On's bid for Endesa. >>>more>>>

European Commission: tobacco taxation consultation >>>more>>>

 
UK Notifications & Publications
OFT

OFT: Supply of airport services by BAA referred to Competition Commission >>>more>>>

OFT: OFT accepts 'hold separate' undertakings from BUPA Finance PLC in relation to acquisition of Clinovia Group Limited >>>more>>>

OFT: case closure summary published regarding NCR software licensing >>>more>>>

OFT: OFT announces in-depth investigation into bank current account charges >>>more>>>

OFT: OFT has received a super-complaint from the consumer campaign body Which? relating to credit card interest rate calculation methods >>>more>>>

Competition Commission

Competition Commission: Greif/Blagden statement of issues published >>>more>>>

Competition Commission: Competition Commission proposes to accept undertakings in relation to Adsteam Media/Svitzerwijsmuller A/S merger >>>more>>>

Miscellaneous

Ofcom: determination of significant market power of H3G for termination provided via its own network >>>more>>>

Ofcom: conclusion of consultation on mobile call termination >>>more>>>

Ofcom: consultation on amendment to charge control on mobile network operators >>>more>>>

Ofcom: consultation on amendment to BT undertakings to separate systems shared with Openreach >>>more>>>

Ofcom: regulatory statement on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services published >>>more>>>

Ofcom: tariff table for 2007/2008 published >>>more>>>

Ofcom: digital progress report on broadband communications market >>>more>>>

Office of Rail Regulation: Business Plan for 2007 to 2008 published >>>more>>>

Postcomm: Business Plan for 2007 to 2008 published >>>more>>>

Postcomm: Review of Royal Mail's request to price bulk mail by delivery zone >>>more>>>

 

European Notifications and Publications
Mergers - Invitation to Comment

COMP/M.4614: ED&F Man/ Bromacom - cocoa trade. Candidate case for simplified procedure. Comments should be submitted by 06.04.07. To read the notice, click here.

COMP/M.4334: Owens Corning/Saint Gorbain Vetrotex (JV) - glass fibre reinforcements. Comments should be submitted by 06.04.07. To read the notice, click here.
COMP/M.4536: Magneti Marelli/Concordia - spare parts in the automotive industry. Candidate case for simplified procedure. Comments should be submitted by 06.04.07. To read the notice, click here.
COMP/M.4286: China Shipbuilding/Mitsubishi/Wärtsilä (JV) - ship and marine equipment. Comments should be submitted by 06.04.07. To read the notice, click here.
COMP/M.4590: REWE/Delvita - food and non-food retailing. Comments should be submitted by 06.04.07. To read the notice, click here.
COMP/M.4624: EQT/Scandic - hotel management. Comments should be submitted by 06.04.07. To read the notice, click here.
COMP/M.4608: Siemens/UGS - life cycle management software. Comments should be submitted by 06.04.07. To read the notice, click here.
COMP/M.4615: Merlin/Tussauds - visitor attractions. Comments should be submitted by 09.04.07. To read the notice, click here.
COMP/M.4588: Petroplus/Coryton Refinery Business - oil refinery and manufacture of bitumen. Candidate case for simplified procedure. Comments should be submitted by 09.04.07. To read the notice, click here.
COMP/M.4631: Carlyle Riverstone/First Reserve/Dresser - energy infrastructure, oilfield products and services. Candidate case for simplified procedure. Comments should be submitted by 09.04.07. To read the notice, click here.
COMP/M.4545: Statoil/Hydro - oil and gas exploration, development, production and sale. Comments should be submitted by 09.04.06. To read the notice, click here.
COMP/M.4523: Travelport/Worldspan - travel distribution services. Comments should be submitted by 09.04.07. To read the notice, click here.
COMP/M.4625: Apollo Group/Countrywide - residential property services. Candidate case for simplified procedure. Comments should be submitted by 10.04.07. To read the notice, click here.
Mergers Cleared

COMP/M.4592: Citibank/Egg - online banking and financial services. Cleared under the simplified merger review procedure.

COMP/M.4508: Alstom UK/Balfour Betty (JV) - rail signalling projects in the UK. To read the press release, click here.

COMP/M.4346: NTN/SNR - manufacture of industrial bearings. To read the press release, click here.

COMP/M.4579: Investor AB/Morgan Stanley Group/Mölynlycke Healthcare Care UK Ltd (JV) - provision of surgical products to professional healthcare sector. To read the press release, click here.

COMP/M.4598: Sagard/Cognetas/Groupe Saint-Gobain Desjoncqueres (JV) - production of glass flasks for pharmaceuticals and perfumes. Cleared under the simplified merger review procedure.

Cartels

Bathroom fittings and fixtures: Commission confirms sending Statement of Objections in alleged cartel. Affected Member States are Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Netherlands. To read the press release, click here.

State Aid

List of State Aid where the Commission raised no objections. To read the lists, click here and here.
Information from Member States regarding State aid granted to SMEs. To read the lists, click here and here.

Speeches

Neelie Kroes speech: "More competition and greater energy security in the Single European Market for electricity and gas". To read the speech, click here.

Danuta Hübner speech: "Growth and competitiveness in Europe: a case for strong cohesion policy". To read the speech, click here.

Miscellaneous

12th Implementation Report on EU telecom market published. The report states that consumers have more choice by full potential of the EU's internal market remains unexploited. To read the press release, click here. To read the Report, click here.

i2010 Annual Report published: European Commission has published its report, which states that information and communication technology drives 50% of EU growth. To read the press release, click here. To see the Annual Report and Country factsheets, click here.

E.ON/Endesa: Commission refers Spain to ECJ for failure to withdraw certain conditions relating to national approval of E.On's bid for Endesa. To read the press release, click here.

Tobacco taxation consultation: European Commission has launched a public consultation on EU tax legislation on tobacco. Comments should be received by 01.06.07. To read the press release, click here. To see the consultation, click here.

 
UK Notifications & Publications
OFT

OFT: BAA. OFT has referred the supply of airport services by BAA to the Competition Commission. To read the press release, click here.

OFT: Acquisition by BUPA Finance PLC of Clinovia Group Limited. OFT has accepted 'hold separate' undertakings given by BUPA Finance PLC under section 71 of the Enterprise Act 2002. To read the press release, click here.

OFT: NCR software. OFT has published a case closure summary regarding the terms upon which NCR licenses its software. To read the summary, click here.

OFT: Retail bank pricing. OFT has announced an in-depth investigation into bank current account charges. To read the press release, click here.

OFT: Credit card interest rates. OFT has received a super-complaint from the consumer campaign body Which? relating to credit card interest rate calculation methods. To read the press release, click here.

Competition Commission

Greif/Blagden - large steel drums and closures. Statement of issues published. To read the press release, click here. To read the statement of issues, click here.

Adsteam Media/Svitzerwijsmuller A/S - harbour towage and terminal towage services in Liverpool. CC proposes to accept undertakings. Comments should be submitted by 18.04.07. To read the notice, click here. To read the proposed undertakings, click here.

Miscellaneous

Ofcom: assessment whether H3G has SMP in market for wholesale mobile voice call termination provided by H3G. Ofcom determined that H3G has SMP for termination provided via its own network. To read a summary, click here. To read the assessment, click here.

Ofcom: statement on mobile call termination. Ofcom has concluded its consultation on mobile call termination. To read a press release, click here. To read a summary, click here. To read the statement, click here.

Ofcom: consultation on amendment to charge control on mobile network operators. Comments should be submitted by 05.06.07. To read a summary, click here. To read the consultation, click here.

Ofcom: consultation on amendment to BT undertakings to separate systems shared with Openreach. Comments should be submitted by 11.05.07. To read a summary, click here. To read the consultation, click here.

Ofcom: Regulatory statement on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services published. To read the press release, click here. To read the regulatory statement, click here. To read consumer information, click here.

Ofcom: tariff review. Ofcom has published its tariff table for 2007/2008. To see the tariff table, click here. To see a summary of Ofcom funding for 2007/2008, click here.

Ofcom: digital progress report on broadband communications market. To read a summary, click here. To read the full report, click here.

ORR: The Office of Rail Regulation has published its Business Plan for 2007 to 2008. To read the business plan, click here. To read the results of ORR's stakeholder survey, click here.

Postcomm: Postcomm has published its Business Plan for 2007 to 2008. To read the business plan, click here.

Postcomm: Review of Royal Mail's request to price bulk mail by delivery zone. To read the press release, click here.