Brussels, 26/08/2005 (Agence Europe) - O 26 August, the European Commission authorised plans for the purchase of the American company Storage Technology Corp. («StorageTek») by Sun Microsystems Inc. («SUN»), another American company specialising in network information products and services. After an in-depth examination, the Commission concluded that the operation would not significantly hinder the exercise of effective competition within the European Economic Area (EEA). SUN is active in the provision of information network products and services, such as IT systems, network storage systems and technical assistance.. StorageTek offers a range of data storage solutions to be used in the management, retrieval and protection of vital company information. The Commission's investigation of the operation showed that horizontal overlaps of activity between SUN and Storage Tek were limited and that the entity arising from the operation would still be up against many powerful competitors with considerable market shares. Furthermore, as SUN is mainly a reseller of StorageTek equipment, the operation is unlikely to have any significant impact on fields in which the activities of both parties overlap, according to a Commission press release. As for any possible fallout from the operation in terms of storage solutions for businesses, the Commission arrived at the conclusion that the merger would not pose any competition problems, as it will be in the best interests of the new entity, from an economic point of view, to continue to sell its own products and the storage products of third parties via its Original Equipment Manufacture channels. Furthermore, according to the Commission, the planned operation will have no significant impact on purchaser choice, irrespective of the ITE environment in which they use their storage solutions.