Simplified concentration proceedings

Simpler procedure for the authorisation of mergers and acquisitions of lesser significance by the Office for the Protection of Competition.

If none of the competitors that are to be concentrated is active in the same relevant market, or if their joint share of such a market is less than 15%, and if, at the same time, none of these competitors is active in a market upstream from a relevant market in which another of these competitors is active, or if their share of each such market is less than 25%, or if a competitor acquires exclusive control of another competitor or part thereof in which it has contributed to the joint control until then, a simplified application for the authorisation of concentration may be submitted.

Unless prescribed otherwise, simplified proceedings follow general provisions on the assessment of concentrations. However, there are certain differences, such as the time limit for assessing whether a concentration requires the Office’s authorisation or whether it will materially distort competition. Here, the time limit in simplified proceedings is just 20 days.

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