Brussels Office Counsels PKN Orlen to Successful Clearance at the European Commission
BRUSSELS (22 April 2005) — McDermott Will & Emery/Stanbrook LLP (Brussels) has counseled Polish oil refinery PKN Orlen through to successful clearance by the European Commission of its high profile acquisition of the Czech company Unipetrol. Lawyers from McDermott's Brussels office advised on the presentation of the case before the European Commission’s Competition Directorate.
This matter is significant in that it is the first clearance of a merger between two major companies from the new EU Member States in Eastern Europe. Both companies involved are active in crude oil processing and the manufacture of petrochemical products, and the acquisition is part of the process of privatising Unipetrol which effectively creates an important regional player in Central-Eastern Europe. The Commission found that the acquisition would not create competition concerns, as parties will continue to face strong competition from big international players. The McDermott team was led by Philip Bentley QC, and included associate Javier Berasategi.
Notes
-
In Brussels, McDermott Will & Emery operates as McDermott Will & Emery/Stanbrook LLP and provides regulatory, competition and international trade advice, and have been involved in many of the landmark cases in EU law.
-
McDermott Will & Emery’s European practice includes more than 165 lawyers practicing from six European offices. McDermott Will & Emery is an international law firm (among the top 20 both in the United States and globally) with more than 1000 lawyers who practice from the Firm's offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Düsseldorf, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Rome, San Diego, Silicon Valley and Washington, DC.
