UOKiK with 188 approvals for mergers and acquisitions so far this year

Antitrust watchdog UOKiK issued 188 merger and acquisitions approvals since the beginning of the year. According to UOKiK, 182 cases ended without the need to prolong the proceedings (the average time of proceeding the motion was 34 days), while six decisions were preceded by the second phase. In four cases, UOKiK made reservations about the transaction. “One of the entrepreneurs withdrew his application. There are currently 28 proceedings in progress, of which seven are in the second phase,” UOKiK said. There were also two cases where the entrepreneurs were fined for carrying out the concentration without the approval of the office. Proceedings have two stages, although the second one is reserved for cases which require further analysis such as market research. According to Polish law, all companies which total turnover in the preceding year exceeded the equivalent of €1 billion globally or €50 million in Poland require UOKiK approval for acquisition and merger deals.