Brussels, 27/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 27 June, the European Commission cleared the proposed transfer of Vallourec Précision Etirage S.A.S., the French precision steel tube company, and the Zeithain steel plant from Vallourec SA to Salzgitter AG. The Commission investigation, which focused mainly on concentration in the all round precision steel tubes market, concluded that, for these products for use in automotive, engineering and energy applications, the new entity would continue to face several strong, effective competitors with significant market shares. The Commission also studied the impact of the transaction on the upstream market for seamless hollows and concluded that there would be no risk of this market being closed off. It also considered that the proposed transaction would not affect the market for the distribution of precision steel tubes. (cd)