Last week, the CMA concluded an eight month inquiry into the merger between Veolia and Suez - two global players within the waste and water management industry.
The findings of the Phase 2 inquiry group, of which our managing partner David Thomas was a member, are that Veolia must sell three overlapping businesses as the merger was found to increase the risk of a ‘substantial lessening of competition’ in multiple waste and water markets.
This ruling echoes the outcome of similar reviews from other competition regulatory authorities such as the EU and Australia who have also mandated significant divestments.