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European Commission refers Iliad–Altice telecom merger review to French Competition Authority
- The French Competition Authority said the investigation is expected to last 18 months.
- The European Commission had authority to review Iliad’s role in the deal because its turnover exceeds the EU threshold, while Orange and Bouygues fall below those thresholds, placing their transactions under the French regulator’s oversight.
Assessment
The decision increases the probability that the planned merger will be approve since the French government under President Emmanuel Macron has consistently supported a more flexible approach to merger reviews.