Timeframe: Completed
Project manager: Carl Fredrik Bergström

The background to this project was the criticism coming from both the Swedish Government and representatives of Swedish industry and commerce of the manner in which application of regulations pertaining to control of mergers affects planned mergers in small member states. It was maintained, for example, that the Commission did not take economic policy into account in its examinations and that this had an adverse effect on the ability of European companies to compete in a global market.

In this report, written by Professor Ulf Bernitz, the present regulations governing control of mergers, as well as material produced by the Commission and the European Court of Justice is discussed. Furthermore, various alternatives for change or modernization of current rules are analysed.