The European Commission has rejected a request from the Dutch competition regulator ACM to have the final say in Liberty Global's proposed takeover of Ziggo. The EC said it concluded that the national regulator was not better suited to decide on the acquisition.
The EC has the authority to decide on takeovers of this size, as well as more experience in assessing concentrations in the media and telecom sector. It said there was a need for a coherent application of merger law in such cases. Furthermore, Liberty Global is a multinational operating in 12 countries in the EEA and the takeover could have consequences for countries other than the Netherlands, notably the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, where Liberty is also active.
Liberty Global notified the EC of the intended takeover on 14 March, and the ACM requested shortly thereafter authority on the transaction. The EC now has until 17 October to take a decision on the takeover.
