Brussels, 20/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has cleared the planned deal whereby Edison SpA, an Italian company active in the electricity and gas sector in Italy, would acquire sole control of Eneco Energia S.p.A., an Italian company active in the retail supply of electricity in Italy. The Edison group is also active in the water sector. Edison is jointly controlled by the EDF group and AEM, an Italian energy company controlled by the municipality of Milan. The parties' activities overlap only on the market for retail supply of electricity to non-regulated clients. However in light of the limited position of the parties on this market and the presence of strong competitors, such as Enel, Eni and EGL Italia, the proposed transaction is not likely to have any anti-competitive effects on this market, in the Commission's view. Likewise, Edison and AEM are also active on the vertically related market for wholesale supply of electricity in Italy but their limited position on the market and the presence of other competitors means the deal is unlikely to create competition problems. (ab)