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CR Focus 20th February 2007

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

In the News

European Commission carries out dawn raids at several power transformer producers in France, Germany and Austria >>>more>>>

European Notifications and Publications
Mergers - Invitation to Comment

Etat Français-Thalès/DCN >>>more>>>

Balfour Beatty/Galaxy/Exeter Airport >>>more>>>

Mergers Cleared

Lite-On/PBDS >>>more>>>

PBDS/Philips APM >>>more>>>

Iberdrola/ScottishPower >>>more>>>

State Aid

Polish aid in respect of Poczta Polska: compensation for carrying out the universal postal service >>>more>>>

Italian aid in relation to Poste Italiane SpA, Bancoposta and remuneration paid for distribution of postal savings financial products >>>more>>>

Guidelines on national regional State Aid for 2007-2013 for Finland, Sweden, Austria and Spain >>>more>>>

Speeches

Viviane Reding speech: "Towards a True Internal Market for Europe's Telecom Industry" >>>more>>>

Miscellaneous

European Commission: consultation into draft Merger Guidelines for companies in vertical or conglomerate relationships >>>more>>>

Commissioner Kroes presents results of energy sector inquiry to Energy Council >>>more>>>

DG Competition: agenda and video tapes of public hearing of business insurance sector inquiry >>>more>>>

Energy Commission Piebalgs welcomes successful coupling of Belgian, Dutch and French electricity markets >>>more>>>

European Commission: adopts Pharma-Gatt Agreement improving trade in pharmaceuticals >>>more>>>

 
UK Notifications & Publications
Consultations

Ofcom: Draft Determination to resolve a dispute between Rapture Television plc and British Sky Broadcasting Ltd about EPG listing charges >>>more>>>

Ofcom: resolution of price disputes concerning supply of certain directory information by British Telecommunications plc to The Number (UK) Ltd and Conduit Enterprises Ltd >>>more>>>

Ofcom: setting of access-related conditions upon Top Up TV Limited >>>more>>>

Ofgem: Review of Competition in Gas and Electricity Connections Proposals Document >>>more>>>

Competition Commission

Stonegate Farmers Ltd / Deans Food Group Ltd merger inquiry extension >>>more>>>

Mergers - Invitation to Comment

Woolworths Group plc/Bertram Group Limited >>>more>>>

Mergers Cleared

Arqiva Limited/British Telecommunications plc's satellite broadcast services business >>>more>>>

Mergers - Referred

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Limited/Quest End Computer Services Limited, Quest Systems Development Limited and Cywood Management Limited >>>more>>>

Miscellaneous

Ofcom: Sky's proposal to launch new service on digital terrestrial television >>>more>>>

Ofcom: introduction of new UK-wide 03 numbering system >>>more>>>

Ofcom: note on predicted coverage of public service and commercial digital television multiplexes following switchover >>>more>>>

Ofcom: "Updated: Annual Plan Programme of work for 2006/7" >>>more>>>

Ofwat: Rules of Procedure >>>more>>>

Ofwat: responses to "Review of regulatory accounting guidelines 1, 3 and 4 and of the regulatory accounts tables (18-29) for the June return 2007-10" consultation >>>more>>>

ORR: Periodic review 2008 - Timescales for signalling conclusions letter >>>more>>>

ORR: responses to Insurance review consultation - November 2006 >>>more>>>

OFT: launches new competition assessment and guideline for the policy makers >>>more>>>

 
In the News
The European Commission has carried out dawn raids at the premises of several power transformer producers in France, Germany and Austria. To read the press release, click here.
European Notifications and Publications
Mergers - Invitation to Comment

COMP/M.4191: Etat Français-Thalès/DCN - defence systems for naval, aerospace, transport and civil security applications. Interested parties should submit their comments by 27 February 2007. To read the notification, click here.

COMP/M.4559: Balfour Beatty/Galaxy/Exeter Airport - building and engineering, transport, infrastructure equity fund, owner/operator Exeter Airport. Candidate for simplified procedure. Interested parties should submit their comments by 23 February 2007. To read the notification, click here.

Mergers Cleared

COMP/M.4502: Lite-On/PBDS - development, design and sales of optical data storage disk drives for computers, electronic products. To read the press release, click here.

COMP/M.4503: PBDS/Philips APM - development, design and sales of optical data storage disk drives for computers, automotive playback modules for in-car multimedia and navigation applications. To read the press release, click here.

COMP/M.4517: Iberdrola/ScottishPower - electricity and gas supply. To read the press release, click here.

State Aid

Aid No: C 21/05 (ex PL 45/04) - Polish aid in respect of Poczta Polska: compensation for carrying out the universal postal service - 2004-2005. The European Commission has informed Poland that intend to partially terminate the procedure. To read the notification, click here.

Aid No: C 49/2006 (ex NN 65/2006) - Italian aid in relation to Poste Italiane SpA, Bancoposta and the remuneration paid for the distribution of postal savings financial products. Interested parties should submit their comments by 13 March 2007. To read the invitation, click here.

The European Commission has published guidelines on national regional State Aid for 2007-2013 for Finland, Sweden, Austria and Spain To read the guidelines, click here. and to read the guidelines for Spain, click here.

Speeches

Viviane Reding speech: "Towards a True Internal Market for Europe's Telecom Industry". To read the speech, click here.

Miscellaneous

The European Commission has opened a consultation into draft Merger Guidelines for companies in a vertical or conglomerate relationship. Interested parties should submit their comments by 12 May 2007. To read the consultation, click here. and to read the press release, click here.

Commissioner Kroes has presented the results of energy sector inquiry to Energy Council. To read the press release, click here.

DG Competition has published the agenda and video tapes of the public hearing of the business insurance sector inquiry. To read the agenda and view the tapes, click here.

Energy Commission Piebalgs has welcomed the successful coupling of the Belgian, Dutch and French electricity markets. To read the press release, click here.

The European Commission has welcomed the adoption of the Pharma-Gatt Agreement improving the trade in pharmaceuticals. To read the press release, click here.

 
UK Notifications & Publications
Consultations

Ofcom has opened a consultation into a Draft Determination to resolve a dispute between Rapture Television plc and British Sky Broadcasting Ltd about EPG listing charges. Interested parties should submit their comments by 23 February 2007. To read the consultation, click here. and to read the update note, click here.

Ofcom has opened a consultation into the resolution of price disputes concerning supply of certain directory information by British Telecommunications plc to The Number (UK) Ltd and Conduit Enterprises Ltd - Revised Draft Determinations and Explanatory Statement. Interested parties should submit their comments by 7 March 2007. To read the consultation, click here.

Ofcom has opened a consultation into the setting of access-related conditions upon Top Up TV Limited. Interested parties should submit their comments by 27 April 2007. To read the consultation, click here.

Ofgem has opened a consultation into the Review of Competition in Gas and Electricity Connections Proposals Document. Interested parties should submit their comments by 30 March 2007. To read the consultation, click here.

Competition Commission

The Competition Commission has extended its inquiry period in the Stonegate Farmers Ltd / Deans Food Group Ltd merger to 24 April 2007. To read the press release, click here.

Mergers - Invitation to Comment

Woolworths Group plc/Bertram Group Limited - book distribution. Interested parties should submit their comments by 23 February 2007. To read the notification, click here.
Mergers Cleared

Arqiva Limited/British Telecommunications plc's satellite broadcast services business - satellite broadcast systems. To read the decision, click here.

Mergers - Referred

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Limited/Quest End Computer Services Limited, Quest Systems Development Limited and Cywood Management Limited - property valuation network services. To read the press releases, click here. and click here.

Miscellaneous

Ofcom has issued a press release in relation to Sky's proposal to launch new service on digital terrestrial television. To read the press release, click here.

Ofcom has issued a press release with regard to the new UK-wide 03 numbering system to be introduced. To read the press release, click here.

Ofcom has published a note on the predicted coverage of public service and commercial digital television multiplexes following switchover. To read the note, click here.

Ofcom has published its "Updated: Annual Plan Programme of work for 2006/7". To read the document, click here.

Ofwat has published its rules of procedure. To read the rules, click here.
Ofwat has published the responses to the "Review of regulatory accounting guidelines 1, 3 and 4 and of the regulatory accounts tables (18-29) for the June return 2007-10" consultation. To read the responses, click here.
ORR has published its Periodic review 2008 - Timescales for signalling conclusions letter. To read the review, click here.
ORR has published the responses to Insurance review consultation - November 2006. To read the responses, click here.
The OFT is to launch a new competition assessment and guideline for the policy makers across government in order to assess the impact proposed policies and legislation will have on competition. To read the press release, click here.