10. Mergers and acquisitions

‘Mergers and acquisitions’ discusses mergers and acquisitions. While of potential benefit to society, mergers, takeovers, share acquisitions, and joint ventures also affect the market structure, and at times may reduce competition. When markets become more concentrated following a merger, we move further away from a competitive market structure to a structure in which market power might undermine the competitive process. To address this risk, the competition agency must assess the impact of the transaction. There are important procedural differences between the European administrative system and the US system in terms of the appraisal of mergers and acquisitions. Other types of mergers include: horizontal mergers, vertical mergers, and conglomerate transactions.