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MERGERS: AMO approver merger of companies Deutsche Bahn AG and BUS PARTNERS SERVICES

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On July 16, 2015 the Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic, Division of Concentrations („the Office“) approved merger through which the undertaking Deutsche Bahn AG, Berlin, Germany („DB AG“) acquired indirect exclusive control over the undertaking BUS PARTNERS SERVICES, Bratislava, Slovak Republic („BPS“) and through it also over the undertaking Slovenská autobusová doprava Trnava, Slovak Republic („SAD Trnava“).
 
Company DB AG is a German national carrier and a multinational company acting in the field of mobility and logistics. It operates the rail infrastructure in Germany, passenger railway and bus transport, it deals with freight forwarding and logistics and associated services. It acts on various European markets of passenger transport mainly through its subsidiaries. DB AG belongs to portfolio of Deutsche Bahn group („DB Group“). In the area of bus transport the DB Group acts in city transport, suburban bus services, long-distance bus services and also in contractual bus services.
 
Company BPS is a holding company owning 60,5 % share of company SAD Trnava. Company BPS provides the services of repairing cars and bodyworks. SAD Trnava provides public bus transport, mainly city transport, suburban bus services and long-distance bus services (national and international), irregular and contractual services and other services.
 
Activities of undertakings concerned horizontally overlap in the area of passenger bus transport, thus the Office dealt with this area in more details, mainly with providing regular public bus transport, namely city transport, suburban bus services and long-distance bus services (both national and international).
 
The geographic market for operation of public transport in cities and regions is nation or regional. In the case of commercial long-distance bus service, the geographic market is determined by the particular lines based on starting – final stations.
 
DB Group provides services of city transport in municipalities of Nové Zámky, Komárno, Štúrovo, Šaľa, Šurany, Levice, Šahy, Trebišov, Nitra, Zlaté Moravce, Topoľčany, Liptovský Mikuláš, Ružomberok and Dolný Kubín. Suburban bus services are provided in regions of Michalovce, Sobrance, Trebišov, Komárno, Levice, Nové Zámky, Štúrovo, Šaľa, Nitra, Topoľčany, Vráble, Zlaté Moravce, Liptovský Mikuláš, Ružomberok, Dolný Kubín, Námestovo and Trstená.
 
SAD Trnava acts in the area of city transport in municipalities of Trnava, Piešťany, Senica and Hlohovec. It provides suburban bus services in municipalities of Trnava, Piešťany, Senica and Hlohovec, and some of lines overlap into regions of Bratislava, Nitra and Trenčín.
 
Both companies provide both national and international long-distance bus services.
 
In its analysis the Office took into account the nature of market and position of the undertakings concerned after merger both in national and regional views and it did not identify any competition concerns.

The Office concluded that the assessed merger does not raise competition concerns and it approved the merger.
 
The decision came into force on July 21, 2015.