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ARTICLE · 30 OCTOBER 2023

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Brussels Regulatory Brief: October 2023

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On 25 September 2023, the European Commission (Commission) prohibited, under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (EU Merger Regulation), a merger in the online travel agency sector.

European UnionAntitrust/Competition Law
K&L Gates
K&L Gates
Mélanie Bruneau
Mélanie Bruneau
Francesco Carloni
Francesco Carloni
Giovanni Campi
Giovanni Campi
Nikolaos Peristerakis
Nikolaos Peristerakis
Antoine De Rohan Chabot
Antoine De Rohan Chabot
Michael Hofmann Dr.
Michael Hofmann Dr.
Petr Bartoš
Petr Bartoš

ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION

European Commission Prohibits US$1.7 Billion Merger in Online Travel Agency Sector

On 25 September 2023, the European Commission (Commission) prohibited, under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (EU Merger Regulation), a merger in the online travel agency sector. The Commission found that the acquisition would have strengthened a dominant position on the market for hotel online travel agencies in the European Economic Area (EEA).

The transaction concerned the acquisition of E-Traveli, a Swedish company being one of the main providers of flight online travel agency (OTA) services (Target) by a leading US hotel OTA (Buyer) (Proposed Transaction). OTAs provide intermediation services as they match demand and supply for travel services such as accommodation, flights, car rentals, and attractions. In the EEA only, OTAs handle transactions worth more than €100 billion annually. Out of this, hotel OTAs are worth about €40 billion annually,

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