Brussels, 12/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has authorised the merger between the Dutch publishing and information company VNU N.V. and the global provider of market research services, ACNielsen Corp. Last December, VNU announced the launch of a friendly takeover bid on the US group at the price of USD 36.75 per share, valuing the group at EUR 2.6 billion. After studying the impact of this operation on different markets where the parties are active, the Commission decided to authorise it, concluding that it will not lead to the creation or strengthening of a dominant position.