Economia - pubblicata il 12 Marzo 2018
Antitrust: Commission publishes eighth report on patent settlements in the pharma sector
The European Commission published today its eighth monitoring report on
pharmaceutical patent settlements. The report covers the 107 patent settlements concluded between originator and generic companies in the pharmaceutical sector in 2016. The annual monitoring
exercise started as a follow-up to the Commission’s competition inquiry in the
pharmaceutical sector, which was concluded in 2009. The eight monitoring exercises have shown that the Commission’s enforcement activities in this area do not discourage companies from
settling their patent disputes. The number of settlements that might attract competition law scrutiny has progressively decreased since the 2008 pharmaceutical sector inquiry and has stabilised
at a low level of around 10%. More information is available on the Commission’s competition website, in the
pharmaceuticals section.
Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of CBR by Apollo Management
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of CBR Fashion Holding GmbH of Germany by Apollo Capital Management, LP of the US. CBR is active in the
design, wholesale and retail of women’s apparel. Apollo manages investment funds that invest globally in companies and debt issued by companies in various businesses. One of Apollo’s portfolio
companies is also active in the retail of women’s apparel. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns because overlaps between the companies’
activities are very limited. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure. More information is available on the Commission’s competition website, in the public case
register under the case number M.8827.
Mergers: Commission clears joint acquisition of CSM by ArcelorMittal and CLN
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control over Centro Servizi Metalli (“CSM”) by Coils Lamiere Nastri (“CLN”), both of Italy and
ArcelorMittal, of Luxembourg. Both CSM and ArcelorMittal are active in the distribution of stainless steel quarto plates through oxy-cutting centres, while ArcelorMittal is also a producer of
these goods. CLN is a distributor of carbon steel. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns given the companies’ moderate combined market
positions resulting from the proposed transaction and the presence of a number of strong players both in the distribution and in the production of stainless steel quarto plates. The transaction
was examined under the simplified merger review procedure. More information is available on the Commission’s competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.8762.
Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of joint control of Axent by Axión and Enagás
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of Axent by Axión Infraestructuras de Telecomunicaciones, S.A.U. and Enagás, S.A., all of
Spain. Axent provides wholesale leased lines services in Spain. Axión, controlled by AMP Limited of Australia, is active in the provision of radio telecommunications infrastructure and carrier
networks services for audiovisual broadcasters, public administration and telecom operators. Enagás is involved in gas storage and transmission activities in Spain. The Commission concluded that
the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns because Axent has negligible actual and foreseen activities within the European Economic Area. The transaction was examined under the
simplified merger review procedure. More information is available on the Commission’s competition
website, in the public case register under the case number M.8793.
Eurostat: Les dépenses publiques de protection sociale ont représenté près d’un cinquième du PIB
Parmi les fonctions des dépenses des administrations publiques dans l’Union européenne (UE), la «protection sociale», équivalente à 19,1% du PIB, était de loin la plus importante en 2016.
Venaient ensuite, par ordre d’importance, les fonctions «santé» (7,1%), «services généraux des administrations publiques» tels que les affaires étrangères et les opérations concernant la dette
publique (6,0%), «enseignement» (4,7%) et «affaires économiques» (4,0%). Les fonctions «ordre et sécurité publics» (1,7%), «défense» (1,3%), «loisirs, culture et culte» (1,0%), «protection de
l’environnement» (0,7%) ainsi que «logements et équipements collectifs» (0,6%) ont eu un poids moins important. A l’échelle de l’UE, ces données masquent toutefois des différences considérables
entre États membres en ce qui concerne le pourcentage du PIB consacré à chaque fonction de dépenses des administrations publiques. Un communiqué de presse est disponible ici.