EC extends deadline for FedEx/TNT clearance decision
The European Commission has reportedly extended the deadline for the completion of its “Phase II” investigation into FedEx’s bid for TNT. When the EC announced the launch of its phase II investigation on 31 July, it issued a statement saying that it had some “concerns” about clearing the deal because “on a number of European markets for international express and regular (so-called ‘deferred’) small package deliveries, the merged entity would face insufficient competitive constraints from the only two remaining players (UPS and DHL)”.
The statement went on to say: “The Commission now has 90 working days, until 7 December 2015, to investigate the proposed acquisition and to determine whether these initial concerns are founded.”
However, EC spokesman Ricardo Cardoso has today (14 August) been quoted by Reuters as saying: “The parties have requested a 20-day extension for the phase II investigation, as they are entitled to do according to the merger regulation.”
This would postpone the decision until mid-January.
