10/12/2019 (Agence Europe) – The European Commission approved on Tuesday 10 December the acquisition of Nuova Castelli, an Italian company, by Lactalis, a French group. The Commission concluded that the merger would not raise competition concerns, given that Nuova Castelli has a limited presence in the product segment in question. In addition, in the branded product segment where the main overlap between the companies' activities is found, there are other significant suppliers who can compete with the merged entity. Finally, the Commission noted the arrival of new competitors and the development of the activities of existing competitors on the national markets of the European Economic Area. Nuova Castelli produces Italian cheeses and several cheeses with a protected designation of origin (PDO). Lactalis produces and markets dairy products (cheeses, butters and dairy desserts). (LC)