Brussels, 27/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 27 June 2008, the European Commission cleared the planned acquisition of Horizon Technology Group of Ireland by the US-based company Avnet, both distributors of information technology products. The Commission examined the effects of the planned deal on the market for the wholesale distribution of IT products in the EEA and focussed on the markets for the distribution of servers (and the sub-categories of high-range and mid-range servers) in the UK. Even though the merger would create the strongest player in these markets, the Commission's investigation showed that a number of other wholesale distributors would exercise competitive constraints on the merged entity, along with manufacturers of IT products and software, which sell their products directly to resellers and retailers, thus bypassing the wholesalers. The Commission concluded that the merger would not significantly impede competition. (C.D.)