Press Release: Mergers: Commission approves proposed acquisition of Hypo Real Estate by Germany’s Financial Market Stabilisation Fund

The European Commission approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of German financial institution Hypo Real Estate AG ('HRE') by Germany's state-owned Financial Market Stabilisation Fund ('SoFFin'). The Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it. This is the first time in the current financial crisis that a bank nationalisation has been notified to the Commission under the EU Merger Regulation.