Brussels, 16/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, 16 December, the European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether a proposed joint venture between two of world's leading coffee manufacturers Douwe Egberts Master Blenders of the Netherlands and Mondelçz International Inc. of the US was in line with the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission has concerns that the proposed transaction may reduce competition for various coffee formats in Austria, France, Denmark and Latvia and for single-serve systems in multiple member states. In order to address the competition concerns identified by the Commission, the companies offered commitments but after consultation with other market players, the Commission concluded that they were insufficient to remove the concerns raised. (EL)