The Competition Commission, on its meeting on 22 December 2023, considered 2 concentration notifications.
- The concentration obtained through the acquisition of control of WestRock Company by Smurfit Kappa Group plc.
- The concentration obtained through the purchase of the share capital of Simon & Schuster (UK) Ltd and Simon & Schuster, Inc. by Century DE Buyer LLC and Century UK Buyer Ltd.
The concentrations will not create overlaps or upstream or downstream relationships between the activities of the parties at the national level and for these reasons, the intended transaction will not bring change and will not have an impact on the Albanian market.
For these reasons, the Competition Commission, by Decision no. 1039, dated 22.12.2023, decided to authorize the concentration obtained through the acquisition of control of WestRock Company by Smurfit Kappa Group plc and by Decision no. 1038, dated 22.12.2023, decided to authorize the concentration obtained through the purchase of the share capital of Simon & Schuster (UK) Ltd and Simon & Schuster, Inc. by Century DE Buyer LLC and Century UK Buyer Ltd.
Also, the Competition Commission by decision no. 1040, dated 22.12.2023, approved the Guideline “On the best practices for the disclosure of information in databases, during the investigation and control procedures of concentrations provided for in law no. 9121, dated 28.07.2003 “On competition protection”.
The purpose of this Guideline is to provide instructions on when and how the database can be used to reveal, in a limited way, trade secrets and other confidential information obtained during the investigation and control procedures of concentrations provided by law no. 9121, dated 28.07.2003 “On competition protection”. The document aims to increase the transparency and predictability of the process within the existing legal and procedural framework, thereby improving the effectiveness of antitrust and concentration investigations.
Furthermore, please consult the official page of the Competition Authority at http://caa.gov.al.