Brussels, 19/12/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission authorised the company under Finish law Metsa-Serla to take exclusive control of the German paper producer Zanders Feinpapier feeling that the operation would only have a mild impact on the markets in question.
On the market for the production of fine paper, at the EEA level, the cumulated market share of the parties is not high and there exists sufficient competitors. On the market for the sale and distribution of fine paper, sector in which Metsa-Serla is present through the intermediary of dealers in most of the Member States, more specifically the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands, the parties will not have a significant presence given the weak market share of Zanders. Finally, the position of Metsa-Serla on the market for the production of paper paste does not raise any problems for competition with regards to the access of producers of fine paper to these products. Thus the Commission feels that the operation is compatible with the common market and the EEA. International Paper had decided last November to sell the 72% stake it held in the capital of its German subsidiary Zanders Feinpapier (turnover of EUR 504 million in 1999 with 2,800 employees, two factories and a production capacity of 450,000 tonnes of paper) to Metsa-Serla (turnover of EUR 4.2 billion in 1999) for EUR 86 million.