GREEN LIGHT FOR ITALO-GERMAN GAS/NUCLEAR DEAL

Europe Energy, January, 1996

Plans for ELSAG BAILEY PROCESS AUTOMATION N.V, which is controlled by the Italian company FINMECCANICA SpA and belongs to the IRI group, to take over the German firm HARTMANN & BRAUN AG got the European Commission all-clear under the terms of the 1989 Merger Regulation on December 22. Both companies are involved in the manufacture and sale of process control systems, control instruments and process analysers, while Hartmann & Braun is also involved in gas chromatographs and nuclear radiation technology instruments.

Both companies are leading suppliers of process control equipment. Even so, the Commission said that on an EU-wide dimension, the deal does not raise serious competition concerns as there will be enough other players to keep the market free.