Press Release: Company law: Commission takes measures against 11 Member States over non-implementation of EU rules on cross-border mergers

The European Commission decided to pursue infringement procedures against 11 Member States for failure to implement the Cross-Border Mergers Directive in national law. The Commission will send formal requests to Belgium, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and Slovenia. These formal requests take the form of 'reasoned opinions', the second stage of the infringement procedure laid down in Article 226 of the EC Treaty. If there is no satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice. The Directive should have been implemented before the end of 2007.