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CR Focus 5th December

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

European Notifications and Publications
Mergers Notified

Motorola/Symbol >>>more>>>

Mergers Cleared - In-Depth Investigation

Thales/Finmeccanica/AAS and Telespazio >>>more>>>

Mergers Cleared

Veolia Cargo/Rail Link/JV >>>more>>>

OJSC Novolipetsk Steel/Duferco/JV >>>more>>>

Telecom Italia/AOL German Access Business >>>more>>>

Apollo Group/GE Advanced Materials >>>more>>>

State Aid

European Commission publishes Guidelines on National regional State aid map for Ireland >>>more>>>

British aid in relation to the First Time Shareholders Scheme >>>more>>>

Italian aid relating to Poste Italiane, BancoPosta >>>more>>>

Speeches

Viviane Reding speech: "Connecting up the Global Village: a European View on Telecommunications Policy" >>>more>>>

Viviane Reding speech: "The Disruptive Force of Web 2.0: how the new generation will define the future" >>>more>>>

José Manuel Barroso speech: "The Scottish enlightenment and the challenges for Europe in the 21st century; Climate change and energy" >>>more>>>

Neelie Kroes speech: "Securities markets - the post-trading Code of Conduct and competition" >>>more>>>

Neelie Kroes speech: "20th anniversary of the UK-France electricity interconnector - introductory remarks" >>>more>>>

Charlie McCreevy speech: "Making the new EU financial market regulations work on the ground" >>>more>>>

Charlie McCreevy speech: "The Commission's policy in the area of asset management and pensions" >>more>>>

Cartels
European Commission fines synthetic rubber companies €519 million >>>more>>>
Miscellaneous
European Commission: preliminary conclusions in E.ON/Endesa merger >>>more>>>
DG Competition: new pages on competition in professional services sector >>>more>>>
European Commission: first set of national allocation plans for 2008-2012 trading period relating to greenhouse gas emission targets under Kyoto Protocol >>>more>>>
 
UK Notifications & Publications
Consultations

OFT: "final guidance on how it will give lenient treatment to companies and individuals who confess to cartel conduct" >>>more>>>

ORR: "priorities for 2007-08 and its approach to focused and effective regulation" >>>more>>>

Postcomm: "Royal Mail's compensation schemes" >>>more>>>

Competition Commission

Final report on competition aspects of Home Credit Inquiry >>>more>>>

Hamsard 2786 Ltd / Academy Music Holdings Ltd - Notice and Summary of Provisional Findings and notice of possible remedies >>>more>>>

Final report in relation to the CBS Private Capital Ltd / Hampden Agencies Ltd >>>more>>>

Mergers Cleared

Torex Retail plc/Retail-J Limited >>>more>>>

Mergers Cleared - With Undertakings

Co-operative Group (CWS) Limited/Fairways Group UK Limited >>>more>>>

Miscellaneous

Ofcom: first report relating to The International Communications Market 2006 >>>more>>>

Ofcom: speech by Ed Richards: "Communications and Convergence Challenges for 21st Century for Digital Economies" >>>more>>>

Ofcom: collection of essays prepared for UK Office of Communications relating to "Communications - The next decade" >>>more>>>

OFT: updated competition law guidelines in relation to ticketing schemes block exemption >>>more>>>

Ofwat: open letter relating to research into business customers' views on competition in water industry >>>more>>>

DTI: first gas from new Dutch pipeline brings further energy security to UK >>>more>>>

ORR: procedures for reviewing closure references and summary responses to ORR consultation on closure rocedures >>>more>>>

 
European Notifications and Publications
Mergers Notified

COMP/M.4415: Motorola/Symbol - wireless handsets, network systems, broadband products, data capture and scanning devices, network infrastructure. Interested parties should submit their comments by 9 December 2006. To read the notification, click here.

Mergers Cleared - In-Depth Investigation

COMP/M.4303: Thales/Finmeccanica/AAS and Telespazio - space systems, engineering, satellites. To read the press release, click here.

Mergers Cleared

COMP/M.4398: Veolia Cargo/Rail Link/JV - goods transport by road, rail, sea. To read the decision, click here.

COMP/M.4421: OJSC Novolipetsk Steel/Duferco/JV - carbon steel semi-finished and finished flat products, electrical steel products. To read the decision, click here.

COMP/M.4417: Telecom Italia/AOL German Access Business - voice telephone, mobile services, data transmission services, internet providers. To read the press release, click here.

COMP/M.4413: Apollo Group/GE Advanced Materials - manufacture and sale of silicones and related products. To read the press release, click here.

State Aid

The European Commission has published the Guidelines on National Regional aid for 2007-2013 - National regional State aid map: Ireland. To read the guidelines, click here.

Aid No C 39/06 (ex NN 94/05): British aid in relation to the First Time Shareholders Scheme. Interested parties should submit their comments by 30 December 2006. To read the consultation, click here.

Aid No C 42/2006 (ex NN 52/2006): Italian aid relating to Poste Italiane, BancoPosta and remuneration of current accounts deposited with the Treasury. Interested parties should submit their comments by 29 December 2006. To read the consultation, click here.

Speeches

Viviane Reding speech: "Connecting up the Global Village: a European View on Telecommunications Policy". To read the speech, click here.

Viviane Reding speech: "The Disruptive Force of Web 2.0: how the new generation will define the future". To read the speech, click here.

José Manuel Barroso speech: "The Scottish enlightenment and the challenges for Europe in the 21st century; climate change and energy". To read the speech, click here.

Neelie Kroes speech: "Securities markets - the post-trading Code of Conduct and competition". To read the speech, click here.

Neelie Kroes speech: "20th anniversary of the UK-France electricity interconnector - introductory remarks". To read the speech, click here.

Charlie McCreevy speech: "Making the new EU financial market regulations work on the ground". To read the speech, click here.
Charlie McCreevy speech: "The Commission's policy in the area of asset management and pensions". To read the speech, click here.
Cartels
The European Commission has fined five producers and traders of synthetic rubber a total of €519 million for price fixing. To read the press release, click here and click here.
Miscellaneous
The European Commission has notified the Spanish authorities of its preliminary conclusion that Spain violated Article Article 21 of the EU Merger Regulation in that certain conditions imposed on E.ON for its proposed acquisition of control over Endesa. To read the press release, click here.
DG Competition has published new pages on competition in the professional services sector. To read the pages, click here.

The European Commission has decided on a first set of national allocation plans for the 2008-2012 trading period in relation to greenhouse gas emission targets under the Kyoto Protocol. To read the press release, click here.

UK Notifications & Publications
Consultations

The OFT has opened a consultation into final guidance on how it will give lenient treatment to companies and individuals who confess to cartel conduct. Interested parties should submit their comments by 31 January 2007. To read the consultation, click here.

ORR has opened a consultation into its priorities for 2007-08 and its approach to focused and effective regulation consultation. Interested parties should submit their comments by 29 January 2007. To read the consultation, click here.

Postcomm has opened a consultation into the Royal Mail's compensation schemes. Interested parties should submit their comments by 13 February 2007. To read the consultation, click here.

Competition Commission

The Competition Commission has published its final report into the competition aspects of the Home Credit Inquiry. To read the report, click here and to read the press release, click here.

The Competition Commission has published its Notice and Summary of Provisional Findings together with notice of possible remedies in relation to the Hamsard 2786 Ltd / Academy Music Holdings Ltd merger. To read the summary of provisional findings, click here and to read the remedies, click here and to read the press release, click here.

The Competition Commission has published its final report in relation to the CBS Private Capital Ltd / Hampden Agencies Ltd. To read the report, click here and to read the press release, click here.

Mergers Cleared

Torex Retail plc/Retail-J Limited - Electronic Point of Sale, EPOS Software. To read the decision, click here.

Mergers Cleared - With Undertakings

Co-operative Group (CWS) Limited/Fairways Group UK Limited - funeral directing services. To read the decision, click here and to read the proposed undertakings, click here.

Miscellaneous

Ofcom has published its first report in relation to The International Communications Market 2006. To read the report, click here. and to read the press release, click here.

Ofcom speech by Ed Richards: "Communications and Convergence Challenges for 21st Century for Digital Economies". To read the speech, click here.

Ofcom has published a collection of essays prepared for the UK Office of Communications relating to "Communications - The next decade". To read the essays, click here and to read the press release, click here.

The OFT has published updated competition law guidelines in relation to ticketing schemes block exemption. To read the guidelines, click here.

Ofwat has published an open letter in relation to Research into business customers' views on competition in the water industry. To read the letter, click here.

The DTI has announced that the first gas from the new Dutch pipeline will bring further energy security to UK. To read the press release, click here.

ORR has published its procedures for reviewing closure references and Summary of responses to ORR's consultation on closure procedures. To read the procedures, click here.