A legal or natural person appointed in merger cases to oversee the implementation of commitments, and to contribute to their implementation where required. The trustee is appointed by the parties who have offered commitments to the Commission with the Commission’s approval. His powers and duties are set out in the trustee mandate, an agreement between the trustee and the parties — again subject to the Commission’s approval. The trustee normally has the power to propose, and if necessary impose, measures on the parties to ensure compliance with the commitments, as well as an irrevocable mandate to effect the divestiture of the business or businesses to be sold, at no minimum price, if the parties fail to do so within a given period.

Source: Glossary of terms used in EU competition policy, Antitrust and control of concentrations, European Commission, 2002