Press Relese: Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Italian aviation equipment company Avio by GE, subject to conditions

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of the aviation business of Avio S.p.A. of Italy by General Electric Company (GE) of the United States. The decision is conditional upon a series of commitments aimed at safeguarding the competitive position of the Eurojet consortium.

Eurojet manufactures the engine for the Eurofighter, a combat aircraft used by Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and Austria and competing with GE-powered aircraft. The Commission had concerns that the transaction, as originally notified, would have enabled GE to obtain significant influence in the Eurojet consortium and access strategic information of its competitors. The commitments submitted by GE adequately address these concerns.