The Use of Economic Tools in Merger Analysis: Lessons From US and EU Experience

"This paper aims to cast light on the role of economic analysis in merger case decisions. For this reason, we focus on the main quantitative techniques (merger simulation models and event studies) used in merger analysis in the US and EU jurisdictions. Moreover, we try to offer some suggestions to other competition agencies derived from the HCC’s experiences in assessing selected merger cases.

The remainder of the paper is organised as follows. Section B provides the major economic instruments in assessing merger cases and sections C and D introduce the evolution of mergers in the EU and the US. Section D also highlights the Greek experience in evaluating merger cases and provides the basic characteristics of selected merger decisions of the HCC. Section E concludes."