01/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 1 October, the European Commission authorised the joint purchase of the Belgian producer of hygiene disposables, Ontex International NV, by Goldman Sachs, an international investment bank and the investment company TPG. TPG is a holding vehicle for a number of investment funds and is controlled by the group Vita, which supplies polymer non-wovens, which are used to produce disposable hygiene products. The Commission examined this merger, which was notified on 26 August, in light of the vertical relationship which will result between the upstream market for non-wovens and the downstream market for disposable hygiene products. It concluded that the new entity would continue to face strong competition for all the products in question. (F.G./transl.fl)