The Spanish regulator CNMC has asked the European Commission if it, rather than Brussels, can make the final decision on the proposed merger of Orange and MásMóvil.
According to El Economista, CNMC is considered to be in a better position than the EC to analyse the merger and the market believes it will be more severe in its conditions than the European body.
It adds that the two companies notified Brussels on February 14 of their intention to merge and the EC has until March 20 to decide whether to approve it in the first phase or start an in-depth investigation in a second phase.
As previously reported by Broadband TV News, Orange and MásMóvil signed a binding agreement to merge, in a 50/50 joint venture worth €18.6 billion, in July 2022.
