Press Release: Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Norwegian company Elkem by China National Bluestar

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of the Norwegian silicon producer Elkem by China National Bluestar. The Commission carefully examined the proposed merger, including for possible coordination by the Chinese State of market behaviour of different State-owned firms, and concluded that there would remain sufficient competition in the silicon market. Other strong players serving European consumers include FerroAtlántica of Spain, Dow Corning of the US and Germany's Wacker.