EC opens in-depth investigation into Tata Steel and ThyssenKrupp JV
The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed creation of a joint venture by Tata Steel and ThyssenKrupp, under the EU Merger Regulation. At this stage, the Commission is concerned that the merger may reduce competition in the supply of various high-end steels. Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said “Steel is a crucial input for many of the goods we use in our everyday life, and competitive steel prices are vital for the European economy. Industries dependent on steel employ over 30 million people in Europe and we must be able to compete in global markets. This is why we will carefully investigate the impact of the planned combination of Tata Steel's and ThyssenKrupp's steel businesses on effective competition in the steel markets.”
Tata Steel and ThyssenKrupp are major integrated producers of flat carbon steel and electrical steel with significant production facilities in the European Economic Area (EEA), in particular in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. With the transaction, Tata Steel and ThyssenKrupp would combine their European carbon steel and electrical steel businesses in a joint venture.
The Commission's initial market investigation raised several issues relating in particular to combining both companies' offer of certain specialty flat carbon steel and electrical steel products, namely:
Steel for automotive applications, which concerns various types of steel, predominantly galvanised, that are used to produce cars and car parts
Metallic coated steel for packaging, which is used to produce various packaging solutions, such as food and aerosol cans
Grain oriented electrical steel, which is used to produce a variety of engineering products such as transformers
At this stage, the Commission is concerned that, following the transaction, customers would face a reduced choice in suppliers, as well as higher prices. These customers include various European companies, ranging from major corporations to numerous small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). Many compete with imported products in the EEA, or export their products outside Europe and compete globally.
The Commission will now carry out an in-depth investigation into the effects of this transaction to determine whether its preliminary competition concerns are confirmed.
Source : Strategic Research Institute