MINERALS: COMMISSION OPENS SECOND-STAGE INQUIRY INTO OMYA'S PURCHASE OF JM HUBER.

Omya sells a range of industrial minerals to the paper industry, including the synthetic PCC and the natural ground marble calcium carbonate GCC. These industrial minerals reduce the need for tree pulp and have many other uses in an EEA paper making industry worth euro 72 billion. Omya already has four on-site production plants, including two in the EEA.

The case was referred to the Commission by the Finnish competition authority under Article 22 (1) of the Merger Regulation on the grounds that it has a European dimension. The Commission's initial investigation into the markets for all carbonates supplied to the paper industry (and not just those produced on-site) revealed a concentrated market with high barriers to entry. Furthermore, PCC and GCC are used interchangeably by many consumers, and Omya is...