CONCENTRATION AUTHORISATIONS

The Competition Council examined the applications submitted by undertakings to authorise concentrations and passed appropriate decisions in respect of the issues considered.

1. AB Amber Trust II S.C.A. and East Capital Asset Management AB were authorised to implement concentration by acquiring and jointly controlling a 25,5 percent shareholding of AS Elko Grupa (group of Latvian wholesale traders in computer hardware) in accordance with the submitted notification. The intended concentration was assessed by the Competition Council as conglomerate, and, as the degree of concentration in the relevant markets remains unchanged, no dominant position will be created or strengthened by the intended transaction, neither it will cause a significant lessening of competition in the relevant markets. AS Elko Grupa in Lithuania operates through its subsidiary UAB Elko Kaunas. The purpose of the acquisition by the participants of the concentration is the further investment.

2. Having established that the intended concentration will not result in a creation or strengthening of a dominant position, or any significant impairment of competition, the decision was passed to authorise UAB Agriveta to implement concentration by acquiring a 100 percent shareholding of UAB Linas ir viza agro-business centre in accordance with the submitted notification.

3. Having examined the notification submitted by AB Vilniaus baldai on concentration by acquiring a 25 percent shareholding of UAB Girių bizonas the Competition Council authorised the proposed concentration under the terms specified in the notification. The intended transaction was assessed by the authority as vertical and horizontal concentration in the Lithuanian furniture market. The degree of concentration in the relevant market will be affected just to an insignificant extent, furthermore, the concentration effect will be leveraged by a countervailing buyer power, therefore no dominant position will be created or strengthened in the market, or any impairment of competition will result. As indicated in the concentration notification the main objective of the concentration intended by AB Vilniaus baldai is to secure the supply of wood-fibre panel, the principal production raw material.

4. The decision was passed to authorise AB Rokiškio sūris to implement the concentration by acquiring up to 100 percent of the shareholding of the agricultural cooperative Europienas and up to 50 percent of the holding of UAB Pieno upės in accordance with the submitted notification. The intended transaction has been assessed as a horizontal concentration in the Lithuanian dairy purchase market. The degree of concentration in the relevant market will be affected insignificantly, it will not result in the creation or strengthening of the dominant position or a significant lessening of competition in the market concerned. The notification specified that the object of the concentration intended by AB Rokiškio sūris, is the promotion of the establishment of large farms by provision of modernisation facilities and funding facilitation with the view to bringing the farms to the European Union hygiene standards and enhancing their competitiveness in the EU markets.