Notícias
Statement Regarding the Termination of Qualcomm’s Proposed Acquisition of Autotalks
March 25, 2024
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Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Competition Director Henry Liu issued the following statement in response to Qualcomm Inc.’s decision to abandon its proposed acquisition of Autotalks Ltd.:
“The termination of this proposed transaction will preserve vigorous innovation and price competition in the market for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) chipsets and related products used in automotive safety systems. This is a win for car buyers seeking quality, affordable cars with V2X communication capabilities that promise to make driving easier and safer.
Based on its probe into this proposed merger, FTC staff was concerned that the deal might harm competition in markets for V2X chipsets and related products. I want to thank the entire FTC team for their work on this matter.”
The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. The FTC will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize. You can learn more about how competition benefits consumers or file an antitrust complaint. For the latest news and resources, follow the FTC on social media, subscribe to press releases and read our blog.
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Commission sends Statement of Objections over proposed acquisition of a stake in ITA Airways by Lufthansa
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The European Commission has informed Deutsche Lufthansa AG (‘Lufthansa‘) and the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (‘MEF‘) of its preliminary view that their proposed acquisition of joint control of ITA Airways (‘ITA‘) may restrict competition on certain routes in the market for passenger air transport services in and out of Italy. The Commission is concerned that customers may face increased prices or decreased quality of services after the transaction.
Lufthansa and ITA operate an extensive network of routes from their respective hubs in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. Lufthansa has joint ventures with United Airlines and Air Canada for transatlantic routes as well as with All Nippon Airways for routes to Japan. The joint venture partners coordinate on price, capacity, scheduling, and share revenues.
The Statement of Objections
On 23 January 2024 the Commission opened an in-depth investigation to assess if Lufthansa’s acquisition of a stake in ITA may restrict competition in the provision of passenger air transport services in and out of Italy.
The Commission has conducted a wide-ranging investigation to understand the potential impact of the deal. This investigation has included, among others, analysing internal documents and detailed information provided by the parties and gathering information and views from competing airlines, airports, slot coordinators and customers.
The Commission has also considered proactive submissions from individual consumers, consumer representative organisations, airports, rival airlines and trade unions expressing their views in support of or against the transaction.
As a result of this in-depth investigation, the Commission is concerned that the transaction may:
- Reduce competition on a certain number of short-haul routes connecting Italy with countries in Central Europe. On such routes, Lufthansa and ITA compete or will compete head-to-head mainly with direct, but also with indirect flights. Competition in such routes appears limited and comes primarily from low-cost carriers, such as Ryanair, who in many cases operate from more remote airports.
- Reduce competition on a certain number of long-haul routes between Italy and the US, Canada and Japan. On such routes, ITA on the one hand and Lufthansa and its joint venture partners on the other hand compete head-to-head with direct or indirect flights. Competition from other airlines appears insufficient on those routes. In its assessment, the Commission treats the activities of ITA, Lufthansa and its joint venture partners as those of a single entity after the merger.
- Create or strengthen ITA’s dominant position at the Milan-Linate airport, which could make it harder for rivals to provide passenger air transport services from and to Milan-Linate.
Every year, millions of passengers travel on those routes for a total annual spending of over €3 billion. The Commission’s objective is to ensure that the transaction would not lead to adverse effects for customers – consumers and businesses alike – in terms of increased prices or decreased quality of services. ITA has had a successful start to its operations. The Commission is concerned that, absent suitable remedies, the removal of ITA as an independent airline may have negative effects on competition in these already concentrated markets. The routes giving rise to potential concerns represent a small share of total short- and long-haul routes and passengers served by both parties and their joint venture partners, and the potential concerns do not affect the vast majority of routes that ITA operates.
A Statement of Objections is a formal step in an investigation, where the Commission informs the companies concerned in writing of the objections raised against them. The sending of a Statement of Objections does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation. Lufthansa and MEF now have the opportunity to reply to the Commission’s Statement of Objections, to consult the Commission’s case file and to request an oral hearing.
Lufthansa and MEF also have the possibility to put forward remedies to address the preliminary competition concerns identified by the Commission. They can decide to submit remedies at any time of the proceedings until the remedy deadline, which currently falls on 26 April 2024.
Companies and products
ITA, headquartered in Italy, is a full-service carrier with domestic and international operations in passenger and cargo air transport. ITA operates a hub-and-spoke network with its principal hubs in Rome and Milan. ITA was created by the Italian State in October 2020 and it had a successful year 2023. ITA is a member of the SkyTeam alliance.
Lufthansa, headquartered in Germany, is a global full-service carrier with domestic and international operations in passenger and cargo air transport. Lufthansa also operates a hub-and-spoke network with its principal hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna and Brussels. Its subsidiaries include Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Swiss International Airlines and Air Dolomiti. Lufthansa is a member of the Star Alliance, of a transatlantic joint venture with United Airlines and Air Canada and of a joint venture for traffic between Europe and Japan with All Nippon Airways.
MEF carries out the tasks and responsibilities of the Italian government in the fields of economic policy, financial policy, budgeting, and tax policies. MEF holds shareholdings in public and strategic companies in Italy, among others in the transport sector, and it is currently the sole shareholder in ITA. The companies in which MEF has shareholdings are active worldwide.
Background
The transaction was notified to the Commission on 30 November 2023. On 8 January 2024, Lufthansa submitted commitments to address some of the Commission’s preliminary concerns. However, these commitments were insufficient, in terms of both scope and effectiveness, to clearly dismiss the Commission’s preliminary concerns. The Commission therefore did not test them with market participants.
The Commission opened an in-depth investigation on 23 January 2024 and has until 6 June 2024 to take a final decision.
The Commission has the duty to assess mergers and acquisitions involving companies with a turnover above certain thresholds (see Article 1 of the Merger Regulation) and to prevent concentrations that would significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area or any substantial part of it.
The vast majority of notified mergers do not pose competition problems and are cleared after a routine review. From the moment a transaction is notified, the Commission generally has 25 working days to decide whether to grant approval (Phase I) or to start an in-depth investigation (Phase II).
In addition to the current transaction, there is currently one ongoing Phase II merger investigation, namely the proposed acquisition of Air Europa by IAG.
More information will be available on the Commission’s competition website, in the Commission’s public case register under the case number M.11071.
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Secteur aéronautique : l’Autorité autorise le rachat de Cobham Aerospace par Thales
Publié le 25 mars 2024Imprimer la page
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Thales a notifié à l’Autorité de la concurrence son projet de prise de contrôle exclusif de la société Cobham Aerospace. À l’issue d’un examen attentif des effets possibles de l’opération, l’Autorité a autorisé cette acquisition sans conditions.
COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE DU 25 MARS 2024
Secteur aéronautique: L’Autorité autorise le rachat de Cobham Aerospace par Thales
Suspected anti-competitive behaviour relating to freelance and employed labour in the production, creation and/or broadcasting of television content, excluding sport
The CMA is investigating suspected breaches of competition law in relation to the purchase of freelance services and the employment of staff supporting the production, creation and/or broadcasting of television content in the UK, excluding sport content.From:Competition and Markets AuthorityPublished12 October 2023Last updated26 March 2024 — See all updatesCase type:CA98 and civil cartelsCase state:OpenMarket sector:CommunicationsOpened:11 October 2023
Administrative timetable
| Date | Action |
| April 2024 to October 2024 | Further investigatory steps and assessment of evidence |
| October 2023 to March 2024 | Initial investigation: information gathering |
| 11 October 2023 | Investigation opened |
Case information
On 11 October 2023, the CMA launched an investigation under section 25 of the Competition Act 1998 (‘CA98’) into a suspected infringement or infringements of the Chapter I prohibition of the CA98 by a number of undertakings involved in the production, creation and/or broadcasting of television content.
The investigation concerns the activities of these undertakings in relation to the purchase of services from freelance providers, and the employment of staff, who support the production, creation and/or broadcasting of television content in the UK, excluding sport content.
The CMA is investigating suspected breaches of competition law by at least the following undertakings: the British Broadcasting Corporation, Hartswood Films Limited, Hat Trick Productions Limited, ITV PLC, Red Planet Pictures Limited, Sister Pictures Limited and Tiger Aspect Productions Limited.
At this stage the CMA believes it has reasonable grounds to suspect one or more breaches of competition law. The CMA has not reached a view as to whether there is sufficient evidence of an infringement of competition law for it to issue a statement of objections to any party or parties. Not all cases result in the CMA issuing a statement of objections and no assumption should be made at this stage that the CA98 has been infringed.
The CMA is separately investigating suspected breaches of competition law in relation to the purchase of freelance services and the employment of staff supporting the production and broadcasting of sports content in the UK. Please see the case page for further details.
Personal data
The CMA may collect, use and share personal data for its investigations, including investigations under the Competition Act 1998. This includes processing personal data for the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
For more information about how the CMA handles personal information, please see the CMA’s Personal Information Charter.
Contacts
- Assistant Project Director, Helen Cameron helen.cameron@cma.gov.uk
- Project Director, Emma Lindsay emma.lindsay@cma.gov.uk
- Senior Responsible Officer, Juliette Enser juliette.enser@cma.gov.uk
Media contact
Any media enquiries should be directed to a member of our Press Office: press@cma.gov.uk.
Information about suspected anti-competitive activity can be reported to the CMA.
Published 12 October 2023
Last updated 26 March 2024 + show all updates
La CNMC termina el expediente sancionador a Naviera Armas tras el pago de la multa y la asunción por la empresa de su responsabilidad
26 Mar 2024 | Competencia Nota de prensa
- En mayo de 2018, la CNMC autorizó con compromisos la compra de Trasmediterránea por Naviera Armas.
- La empresa ha incumplido parte de los compromisos presentados como condición para autorizar la concentración.
- El expediente sancionador ha finalizado tras haber reconocido la empresa su responsabilidad en los hechos y haber efectuado el pago anticipado de la sanción, beneficiándose de una reducción del 40 % del importe que le hubiese correspondido pagar.
La Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) ha sancionado a la empresa Bahía de las Isletas, S.L., matriz del grupo Naviera Armas, por incumplir los compromisos que asumió al comprar Transmediterránea en 2018 (C-0922/18, nota de prensa). El incumplimiento supone una infracción muy grave de la Ley de Defensa de la Competencia.
La multa asciende a un total de 750.000 euros, de los cuales la empresa ha pagado 450.000 euros, al acogerse al beneficio del artículo 85.3 de la Ley 39/2015, de 1 de octubre, del Procedimiento Administrativo Común de las Administraciones Públicas, que prevé una reducción de hasta el 40 % del importe de la sanción si la empresa reconoce su responsabilidad en los hechos y realiza el pago anticipado de la multa.
Con el reconocimiento de responsabilidad y el pago voluntario de la multa de manera anticipada se da por finalizado el expediente sancionador.
Contenidos relacionados:
- SNC/DC/083/23
- VC/0922/18: Naviera Armas/Transmediterránea
- C-0922/18: Naviera Armas/Transmediterránea
- Nota de prensa (30/01/2024): La CNMC inicia un expediente sancionador contra Naviera Armas
- Nota de prensa (23/05/2018): La CNMC aprueba con compromisos la compra de Trasmediterránea por Naviera Armas
- Blog (29/09/2023): En la CNMC vigilamos las concentraciones entre las empresas
Documento no oficial destinado a los medios de comunicación y que no vincula a la CNMC. Reproducción permitida solo si se cita a la fuente.
Casos
CADE
Ato de concentração nº 08700.000253/2024-83
Requerentes: Aliança Instituto de Oncologia S.A. e Onco Vida Instituto Especializado de Oncologia Clínica S.A, empresas do Grupo Oncoclínicas, e Unimed Nacional – Cooperativa Central. Advogadas: Camilla Paoletti, Lea Jenner de Faria e Maria Eduarda Scott. Com fulcro no §1º do art. 50 da Lei 9.784, de 1999, integro as razões do Parecer nº 8/2024/CGAA2/SGA1/SG (SEI 13684678) à presente decisão, inclusive quanto à sua motivação. Nos termos dos arts. 13, XII, e 57, I, da Lei nº 12.529, de 2011, decido pela aprovação sem restrições do presente ato de concentração.
Comissão Europeia
TA ASSOCIATES / SSCP / MACQUARIE / BYGGFAKTA GROUP
Merger
Last decision date: 25.03.2024 Simplified procedure
DEUTSCHE LUFTHANSA / MEF / ITA
Merger
Last decision date: 25.03.2024
Ongoing
Investigation phase: 2
CMA
Venus Topco Limited / Atlanta Investment Holdings 3 Limited merger inquiry
- The CMA is investigating the anticipated acquisition by Venus Topco Limited of Atlanta Investment Holdings 3 Limited.
- Updated: 26 March 2024
Qualcomm Incorporated / Autotalks Ltd merger inquiry
- The CMA investigated the anticipated acquisition by Qualcomm Incorporated of Autotalks Ltd.
- Updated: 25 March 2024
CNMC
Competencia
Concentraciones – Adquisición control exclusivo
C/1448/24 – ASV FUNESER /LA RONDEÑA
Resolución del Consejo – Autorización en 1ª fase | 20 Mar 2024
Competencia
Concentraciones – Adquisición control conjunto
C/1454/24 – TENSILE/ PORTOBELLO/ PLENOIL
Resolución del Consejo – Autorización en 1ª fase | 20 Mar 2024
Competencia
Concentraciones – Adquisición control exclusivo
C/1451/24 – BASIC FIT / RSG SPAIN
Resolución del Consejo – Autorización en 1ª fase | 20 Mar 2024
Competencia
Concentraciones – Adquisición control exclusivo
C/1430/23 – QSI / WPT
Resolución del Consejo – Autorización 1ª fase con compromisos | 20 Mar 2024
Competencia
Sancionadores – DC – SNC
SNC/DC/083/23 – NAVIERA ARMAS/TRASMEDITERRANEA
Resolución del Consejo – Existencia infracción, Multa | 20 Mar 2024
Energía
Informes de Propuestas Normativas – Informe de proyecto normativo -IPN-
IPN/CNMC/007/24 – SOLICITUD DE INFORME DE LA SEE. ANTEPROYECTO DE LEY DE RESTABLECIMIENTO DE LA CNE
Informe del Consejo | 20 Mar 2024