EU Block on UPS-TNT Merger Annulled by Court
The EU's lower court on March 7 annulled a 2013 decision by the European Commission blocking a planned merger between UPS and TNT Express, two international package delivery services.
The commission blocked the acquisition of the Dutch TNT by the US company UPS in January 2013, saying that it would restrict competition in 15 of the EU's 28 member states and reduce the number of competitors to as few as one in certain markets.
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UPS ranks No. 1 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.
The General Court of the European Union found that the commission violated EU rules by using a different statistical analysis in reaching its decision than the one used during the negotiation process with UPS, thus infringing on the company's right of defense.
The decision can be appealed within two months.
