• 188 decisions pertaining to the control of concentration have been issued by the Office of Consumer and Competition Protection since the beginning of this year.
• The shortest procedure lasted one week only.
• To celebrate the World Competition Day, UOKiK reminds of its activities related to mergers and acquisitions.

Any concentration control procedure comprises two phases. During the first stage – lasting up to 30 days – cases are examined that raise no doubt as far as their adverse impact on competition is concerned. The more complicated cases, e.g. those requiring a market survey, undergo additional, second-phase evaluation.

- The duration of the procedure does not include the time spent awaiting for an answer from the entrepreneur reporting their intention, for elimination of any deficiencies or for supplementing the application filed. The average waiting time for the decision is 39 days this year, and the shortest procedurę lasted one week only – says Marek Niechciał, President of the UOKiK.

• In 2017 UOKiK issued 188 concentration consents (as at 30 November 2017).
• In one case, the green light was conditioned on the entrepreneur’s fulfillment of specific requirements. It involved PGE’s take-over of EDF.
• In two cases UOKiK fined entrepreneurs for conducting a concentration without the Office’s consent.
• 182 cases were concluded without the need to extend the proceedings (their average duration equaled 34 days), with 6 decisions preceded by second-phase evaluation.
• In four cases UOKiK presented its reservations concerning the transaction. This resulted in one of the entrepreneurs withdrawing their application.
• 28 cases are currently in progress, with seven undergoing the second-phase evaluation.

Pursuant to the applicable legal regulations, a transaction needs to be notified to UOKiK if it involves entrepreneurs whose combined turnover exceeded, in the preceding year, the equivalent of EUR 1 billion worldwide, or EUR 50 million in Poland.

The World Competition Day is organized on the 5^th of December each year by the non-governmental organization called Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS International) and by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Additional information for the media:

UOKiK Press Office
pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warsaw
Phone: 695 902 088, 22 55 60 430
E-mail: [SCODE]Yml1cm9wcmFzb3dlQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]

Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL