Brussels, 16/08/2000 (Agence Europe) - Following a preliminary one-month investigation, the European Commission has decided to initiate an in-depth second phase investigation into the planned creation of a joint-venture between the French firms Framatome and Cogema and German Siemens, aimed at combining the nuclear activities of Framatome and Siemens. When announcing the opening of the four-month investigation, the Commission said that the "operation raises serious doubts as to its compatibility with the common market, given the positions of strength that the new entity wolud secure on certain nuclear technology markets." The Commission believes that the new entity would secure a substantial share of the market of the European Economic Area, especially in the field of the design and manufacture of fuel assemblies, instrumentation and control systems and in the replacement and installation of nuclear power plant components.
Framatome designs and builds nuclear power plants and manufactures the main equipment of the primary systems: in addition, with its crossed-shares with Cogema, Framatome manufactures and markets fuel assemblies. Siemens is active in electrical engineering and electronics; in the nuclear sector, it is active in the design and supply of different types of nuclear power plants, including related nuclear fuel operations (control and command systems, spare parts, etc..) As for Cogema, it is a state-owned company mainly active in the nuclear field, and its activities cover the whole nuclear fuel cycle required to be established for continuous operation of nuclear power plants.