Author: 21st Century Competition

Hungary: Authorities okay foreign power plant investment (Competition Policy International)

Switzerland-based MET Power has reportedly been given approval by Hungarian officials to acquire a minority stake in the Dunamenti power plant, a venture that could lead to an increase in ownership, reports say.

MET, which is partially owned by Hungary-based fuel conglomerate MOL, acquired a 24.5 percent stake in the pant …read more

EU: Commission needs more info on $13.4B orthopedic takeover (Competition Policy International)

The European Commission has reportedly halted its merger investigation into Zimmer Holding’s proposed acquisition of Biomet, announcing Thursday that the regulator will need more information on the deal.

US-based orthopedic product maker Zimmer is looking to acquire Biomet for $13.4 billion, but according to the EU regulator, the merger filing lacks …read more

Israel: Leading supermarkets may need to sell off dozens of locations (Competition Policy International)

A study by Israel’s Antitrust Authority suggests the nation’s two largest supermarket chains could be forced to divest dozens of locations ahead of the implementation of the new Food Law, reports say.

The Authority’s study, the results of which were released Wednesday, found several geographical areas where Mega and Super-Sol control …read more

Russia/Lithuania: Gazprom exits Lithuania after record fine (Competition Policy International)

Gazprom will reportedly divest its ownership in two Lithuanian gas distribution firms following Lithuania’s record-setting competition fine imposed on the Russian fuel giant.

According to reports, Russia and Lithuania had sparred in recent years over the implementation of EU rules aimed to distance gas supplies from the ownership of distribution. Lithuania …read more