A GERMAN COMPANY AUTHORISED TO ACQUIRE THE OWNERSHIP RIGHTS IN KAUNO AKROPOLIS

1. The Competition Council having in its meeting examined the notification on intended concentration resolved to authorise WestInvest Gesellschaft für Investmentfonds mbH to effect the concentration deal by acquiring a 100 percent holding in KAUNO AUDINIŲ PROJEKTAS UAB.  The Competition Council determined that the intended concentration will not result in a creation or strengthening of a dominant position or any significant weakening of competition in the relevant market for lease of commercial purpose property.

The notification submitted to the Competition Council defined the objective of the intended concentration deal as investment. WestInvest Gesellschaft für Investmentfonds mbH, a company from the Federal Republic of Germany engaged in investment business and the real estate lease activity will acquire a 100 percent block of shares of KAUNO AUDINIŲ PROJEKTAS UAB in connection with all attaching rights, and, on that basis, will indirectly acquire the ownership rights in respect of the trading centre Kauno Akropolis.

2. Having established that the intended concentration will not create or strengthen a dominant position, or cause any significant weakening of competition in the markets for the provision of haemodialysis service and the wholesale markets in pharmaceuticals and medicines, the Competition Council resolved to authorise B. Braun Avitum UAB to implement the concentration transaction by acquiring a 100 percent holding in Dializės centras UAB and Kauno dializės centras UAB according to the submitted notification.

The assessment of the intended concentration considered the identical character and nature of the activity of B. Braun Avitum UAB, Dializės centras UAB and Kauno dializės centras UAB, i.e., the provision of haemodialysis services. As indicated in the notification submitted to the Competition Council the principal purpose of the intended concentration is to reduce the costs of the provision of the haemodialysis services, optimisation of the resources at the disposal of the companies, thus facilitating a enhancement of investment into the infrastructure of the haemodialysis services necessary for the upgrading of the equipment and improvement of the quality of the services provided to the users (patients).

The Competition Council, having analysed the situation in the market determined that the haemodialysis service market in Lithuania is not monopolic, and is characterised by fairly intense competition between individual undertakings, as in Lithuania the service is offered by nearly 50 undertakings of which 21 are State hospitals with the remaining private clinics. Furthermore, the undertakings providing haemodialysis services are relatively evenly distributed within the individual regions of Lithuania.

3. The meeting of the Competition Council examined the notification filed with the Council on 11 July 2008 by Tamro UAB to authorise a concentration by acquiring a 100 percent holding in Herbarijos vaistinė UAB, Farma vaistinės UAB and Naujininkų turto valdymas UAB. Having assessed the concentration implemented by Tamro UAB as the vertical and the horizontal concentration in the relevant markets in trade in medicines and medical goods, the Competition Council authorised the concentration in accordance with the submitted notification. The notification indicated that currently Tamro UAB controls 24 undertakings engaged in retail trade in medicines and medical goods in different regions of Lithuania. However, the share of the relevant market held by Tamro UAB is relatively insignificant, therefore the company seeks to increase its competitiveness and acquire a network of pharmacies which is anticipated to enable the company to consolidate its positions.