Saint Louis Sucre seeks court injunction to stop SSC joining Polski Cukier

Tuesday night's announcement by Treasury Minister Aldona Kamela-Sowinska that the 16 sugar companies making up Slaska Spolka Cukrowa (SSC) would be included in the Polski Cukier sugar holding has been met with a strong protest from the French company that was planning to buy them. Saint Louis Sucre has now filed a petition with the Warsaw District Court, asking that the equities of SSC be secured until the matter can be resolved. According to Barbara Rocher of Saint Louis Sucre, the matter has been taken to court because, "We met all the conditions necessary for making the purchase, but it was not finalized within the period that had been specified." The Treasury had been in favor of the privatization, but the deal was halted when the Interior Ministry found some technical errors in the agreement. Also expressing reservations about the move to include SSC in Polski Cukier is the Office for Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK), which points out that a company with a market share in excess of 40% is defined as having a dominant position, and is therefore subject to anti-trust legislation. Spokesperson Iwona Zaczek says the UOKiK is opposed to the creation of companies that will dominate the market, and will look closely into the activities of Polski Cukier. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, B1) P.W.