News da Bruxelles

Fonte: ufficio stampa European Commission

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of joint control over Elica PB India by Elica and Whirlpool

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control over Elica PB India Private Limited of India by Elica S.p.A. of Italy and Whirlpool
Corporation of the US. Elica PB India manufactures and sells kitchen appliances and sells a range of kitchen and related cooking devices in India. Elica manufactures and sells kitchen appliances
and sells air treatment devices. Whirlpool manufactures and sells a range of appliances for refrigeration, laundry, kitchen, air conditioning and water and air purification. The Commission
concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns given Elica PB India’s lack of actual or foreseen activities within the European Economic Area. The transaction was
examined under the simplified merger review procedure.

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Coveris’ rigid plastic packaging business by Lindsay Goldberg

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of control of the rigid plastic packaging business of Coveris Group (“Coveris Rigid”) of Germany and Luxembourg
by Goldberg, Lindsay & Co., LLC (“Lindsay Goldberg”) of the US. Coveris Rigid manufactures and sells rigid plastic packaging solutions such as pots and containers, trays, closures, lids and sheets,
of different materials and for use in various industries. Lindsay Goldberg is a private equity investment firm with 16 portfolio companies, none of which is active in the production and supply of
rigid plastic packaging products in the European Economic Area. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns given the minimal horizontal overlaps and
vertical links between the activities of the companies. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.

Publication of latest agri-food trade figures: EU agri food exports remain strong

The latest monthly agri-food trade report published today shows that EU exports
remain strong, with €11.2 billion recorded in May 2018. With imports that same month worth €10 billion, EU trade registered a surplus of €1.2 billion. This represents an increase of 23% compared
with May 2017. Exports of spirits and vegetable oils recorded notable increases compared to 2017. Exports of beet and cane sugar also had an exceptional growth rate over the last 12 months. During
that period, gains have been achieved in exports to Russia, Japan, USA and Ukraine. The main origins for EU agri-food imports over the past 12 months were Brazil and the USA, followed by Ukraine,
China, Argentina, Indonesia, Switzerland and Turkey. The monthly report provides a table presenting the trade balance and its development by product
category, from June 2016 to May 2018.

Member States endorse the agreement to strengthen the Structural Reform Support Programme

The European Commission welcomes today’s decision by the EU Ambassadors (Coreper) to endorse the preliminary agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on increasing the budget of
the Structural Reform Support Programme by €80 million. This would bring the total budget of the Programme to €222.8 million for the years 2017-2020 and enable the EU to respond to the high demand
from Member States for support to prepare, design and implement growth-enhancing reforms. It would also allow targeted technical support to be provided to EU Member States wishing to adopt the
euro. The proposal to strengthen the Structural Reform Support Programme is part of European Commission’s package of proposals of 6 December 2017 to deepen Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union. Valdis Dombrovskis,
Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue, also in charge of Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, said: “The political agreement reached by the
European Parliament and the Council last week was a major step forward in enhancing the partnership for reforms to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth. Deepening of our Economic and Monetary
Union starts at home. By strengthening the governance and economic structures at national level countries reinforce the resilience of their economies and the euro area as a whole. We look forward
to the formal adoption of the proposal by the Parliament to allow Member States to benefit from the budget increase already in 2019.” The Structural Reform
Support Programme (SRSP) entered into force in May 2017 and currently has a budget of €142.8 million for the years 2017-2020. The support is provided by the Structural Reform Support Service (SRSS) created in 2015 to support Member States in the
preparation, design and implementation of institutional, structural and administrative reforms.