Brussels, 10/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, following a thorough investigation, the Commission finally gave the go-ahead to Haniel's purchase of Ytong Holding AG on the Dutch building materials market, subject to the sale of Ytong's business in the Netherlands to another company. The acquisition is still being reviewed by the German competition authority. In December 2001, the Commission decided to begin a detailed investigation into Haniel's purchase of Ytong, which is mainly active in the Dutch building materials market, 50% of which consists of its indirect stake in CVK, a co-operative comprising all existing production facilities of sand-lime products in the country. The commission's investigation of the Dutch market revealed that Haniel, through CVK, already held a dominant position in the market for wall building materials for load-bearing walls, which would be further strengthened by the purchase of Ytong, which is also principally active in the Dutch market. Through CVK, Haniel was already the only supplier of sand-lime products, the wall-building materials most in demand in the Netherlands. By way of its acquisition of Ytong, it would also become the leading supplier of cellular concrete. In order to meet the Commission's competition concerns, Haniel proposed selling its Ytong Dutch subsidiary to an independent company. The Commission decided that this divestiture would eliminate the overlap of Haniel's and Ytong's activities in the Netherlands and approved the operation. The German Competition Office has been leading a parallel investigation into the consequences of another Haniel acquisition in the German market, that of Fels, a construction materials company. This procedure is still pending.