Merger control: Commission clears proposed acquisition of Ermewa by TLP (SNCF group), subject to conditions
- Sweden
- 01/29/2010
- Roschier, Attorneys Ltd. - Sweden
The Commission cleared, subject to conditions, the proposed acquisition of the Financière Ermewa (“Ermewa”) by Transport et Logistique Partenaires SA (“TLP”) fully owned by the French SNCF Participations, a subsidiary of SNCF. The SNCF group provides passenger rail transport services on the national rail network. TLP’s object is to hold the group’s shareholding in the freight, wagon hire and transport organization sector and in combined transport. Ermewa, active in several EU Member States, is involved in freight wagon hire and organization of transport as well as in tank container hire.
The Commission identified competition concerns on markets linked to the transportation of cereals by rail, in particular the axial hopper wagon hire market, and on the cereal rail transport commissioning market in France, Benelux, Italy and the part of Germany where such wagons are used. The proposed acquisition would have brought together the two main operators in this field and, thus, would have led to the creation of an unavoidable partner for cereal shippers in the area in question. To address the Commission’s concerns, TLP committed to divest all commissioning activities for the transportation of cereals by rail plus a fleet of cereal hopper wagons. In view of these commitments, the Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would not significantly impede effective competition in the EEA or in any substantial part thereof. Source: Commission Press Release 22/1/2010
