EUROPEAN COMMISSION MERGER CONTROL UNDER COUNCIL REGULATION NO. 139/2004: MAPPING THE MOST EXPANSIVE ACQUIRERS IN MERGER AND ACQUISITION TRANSACTIONS IN 2004-2015

In EU merger control, the European Commission is empowered by Council Regulation (EC) No. 139/2004 to regulate changes in market structure by deciding whether two or more firms may merge, combine, or consolidate their businesses into one. These decisions affect various market players, including major EU and non-EU businesses, as well as vast product and geographic markets. Offering a network perspective on the cleared merger and acquisition transactions in Phase I decisions under Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No. 139/2004 (20 January 2004-01 July 2015), this article aims to investigate the overall composition of mergers and acquisitions in terms of their industry sectors and domiciles and to identify the types of firms that acquire more targets than other firms (that is, more expansive firms). The analysis is conducted by using data from the European Commission (601 transactions) and Bureau van Dijk (992 transactions).