The European Commission has asked Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) to examine the acquisition of the nation’s gas monopolist PGNiG by the country’s largest refiner PKN Orlen.
According to UOKiK, the participants in a transaction may request the European Commission to examine the transaction if it was likely to significantly impact competition in a given country.
Orlen recently acquired Ruch, a company that owns press outlets, postal and courier services, as well as media group Polska Press, which owns many local press titles. The country’s largest refiner is also in the process of fusing with the second-largest state-owned fuel company, Lotos. These acquisitions have all been cleared by the European Commission.
In the second half of last year, it was reported that Orlen is also planning to take over PGNiG. The European Commission examines transactions when the combined worldwide turnover of all companies involved exceeds €5 billion (US$5.88 billion) and the combined Community-wide turnover of each of at least two companies involved is more than €250 million (US$294.16 million).
As a rule, UOKiK’s president has jurisdiction over concentrations that have or may have effects in Poland and which do not have a Community dimension.
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Former Sales Pro Admits to Bid Rigging Targeting US Schools
May 13, 2024 by
CPI
Macron Advocates EU Financial Integration Amid Push for Global Competitiveness
May 13, 2024 by
CPI
Microsoft Faces EU Antitrust Charges Over Teams Software
May 13, 2024 by
CPI
EU Antitrust Complaint Filed Against Edwards Lifesciences by Indian Rival Meril
May 13, 2024 by
CPI
South Korea’s Antitrust Watchdog Partners with AliExpress and Temu to Address Safety Concerns
May 13, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Ecosystems
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Mapping Antitrust onto Digital Ecosystems
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Ecosystems and Competition Law: A Law and Political Economy Approach
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Ecosystem Theories of Harm: What is Beyond the Buzzword?
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Open Ecosystems: Benefits, Challenges, and Implications for Antitrust
May 9, 2024 by
CPI