As widely anticipated, the approval of the deal is conditional on the
sale of Arriva's German rail and bus businesses to a third party.
Arriva is the third largest regional rail operator in Germany after DB
and Veolia.
sale of Arriva's German rail and bus businesses to a third party.
Arriva is the third largest regional rail operator in Germany after DB
and Veolia.
"We welcome this decision by the EC because it allows DB to fully
exploit the opportunities of liberalisation," says DB CEO Dr Rüdiger
Grube. "We had no interest in Arriva's German business, we accept the
imposition of the package sale of these subsidiaries, and will fully
implement them constructively."
exploit the opportunities of liberalisation," says DB CEO Dr Rüdiger
Grube. "We had no interest in Arriva's German business, we accept the
imposition of the package sale of these subsidiaries, and will fully
implement them constructively."
Competition vice-president in charge of competition policy Mr JoaquínAlmunia said: "This decision shows that the Commission is open for
cross-border integration in the newly liberalised transport markets,
provided that such transactions do not in any way reduce competition,
in particular in the home market of the acquirer. The divestiture of
Arriva Germany will ensure that competition on the German rail and bus
markets keep on developing as intended by EU legislation."
Arriva operates train and bus services in 12 European countries, and
its rail portfolio includes two passenger franchises in Britain, Arriva
Trains Wales and CrossCountry, as well as regional concessions in the
Netherlands, western Denmark, and the Skåne region of Sweden.
