Press Release: Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Arcelor by Mittal, subject to conditions

The European Commission on 2 June 2006 cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of the company Arcelor S.A. (Luxembourg) by the Mittal Steel Company N.V. (The Netherlands), subject to conditions. Both companies are major steel producers. The Commission had found that the proposed transaction would not give rise to competition concerns in the EEA markets for most steel products, except for heavy section beams, a specific type of long carbon steel product. However, Mittal offered remedies that would remove the concerns identified by the Commission. In the light of the remedies submitted, the Commission has concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or a significant part of it.