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Green light from the Commission for a Franco-German rapprochement on maritime security

VTS system (Credit: Sofrelog)

The creation of a joint venture between EADS Defense & Security (France) and Atlas Elektronik (Germany) in the maritime security and safety systems sector received the green light from the European Commission on 28 October. " After examination, the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it says the Commission.

EADS DS is present in the maritime safety and security sector through its subsidiary Sofrelog which it bought in 2006. A subsidiary specializing in port and maritime traffic control systems as well as surveillance systems. While Atlas is a German supplier of electronics and other equipment in the naval systems sector and present in the maritime security and safety sector through its subsidiary Atlas Maritime Security GmbH. The company is already part of the EADS house since it is jointly controlled by ThyssenKrupp Technologies AG (alias TKT) and EADS Deutschland.

The joint venture will combine the activities of Sofrelog and Atlas Maritime Security to develop, sell and operate maritime traffic management systems (“VTS”), used to ensure the safety of navigation in a geographical area and Coastal Surveillance Systems (“CSS”) used to monitor and secure maritime borders against threats such as smuggling and illegal immigration.

For the Commission, which has an essentially economic analysis in this area based on respect for free competition, there is no risk. " The parties' market shares are limited in maritime safety and security systems and in the CSS segment, both globally and in the EEA. In the VTS segment, the market investigation confirmed that despite significant market shares globally and in the EEA, the joint venture will still face several major European and third-country competitors. The joint venture will also be constrained by the buying power of sophisticated customers (mainly public authorities) who rely on open global competitive bidding to ensure effective competition. »

DG Competition document on this file

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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