The EU commission has opened an investigation deepened on the acquisition of Tirrenia by Italian Company of Navigation



The EU commission, to conclusion of a under way investigation the slid autumn ( on 5 October 2011), it has decided the opening of an investigation deepened on the acquisition by Italian Company of Navigation Srl (CIN) of the combined control of a branch of the public group the Tirrenia di Navigazione, currently subject marine company operatively of extraordinary administration that work services for passengers and goods between the peninsula with some Italian islands, above all Sardinia and Sicily ((inforMARE on July 26, 2011).

Brussels has explained that, to light of the results of the preliminary investigation of market, sussistono "series worries on the conformity of the operation to the norms in competition matter, in particular because the parts in cause jointly stop market shares many elevating - where not a real position of monopoly - on numerous Italian marine routes, mainly on some routes from and towards the Sardinia". In particular, the Commission has explained that "to this stage of the investigation he seems that, on numerous routes, the new subject would not endure a sufficient pressure by strong competitors, efficient and credible and therefore the acquisition in object provokes serious doubts concerning its impact on the competition".

The acquisition operation is notified to the Commission on 21 November. Italian company of Navigation purposely is created in order to participate to the operation from the Marinvest societies, holding to which they are under responsibility crocieristica company MSC Cruises and the companies of Great navigation Navi Veloci (GNV) and SNAV who that - as Tirrenia - goods and passengers transport towards the islands, from Honored the Participation, holding that Moby controls among other things also operating it in the field of the transport services goods and passengers in the Mediterranean, and from Grimaldi Company of Spa Navigation, also it engaged in the field of the services of marine transport of goods and passengers on the routes of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

The Commission has specified that the decision to proceed to a groundbreaking examination does not prejudice the final outcome of the investigation. From this moment the EU commission has 90 working days, until on June 4, 2012, in order to decide in definitive way if the proposed concentration is such to inside hinder in meaningful way the effective competition of European economic Spazio (SEE).

"The proposed acquisition - the vice president of the EU commission and commissioner has declared for competition, Joaquín Almunia - could remarkablly shrink the competition on the market, to million damage travellers and numerous conveyors. It is up to the Commission to guarantee that the consumers and the other users can continue to have of a competitive offer of services of ferry from and towards the Sardinia and the Sicily".

Brussels has remembered that Tirrenia is involved in numerous other cases of aids of State currently to the sieve of the Commission and regarding, in particular, the conditions of the future privatization and the obligations of public service.