CMA unwinds Veolia / Suez merger in the UK

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) requires Veolia to sell three businesses after an in-depth merger investigation.

The investigation concluded the merger gives rise to competition concerns in and Veolia must sell substantial parts of the merged business:

• Suez’s UK waste management services businesses;
• Suez’s UK industrial water operation and maintenance services business; and
• Veolia’s European mobile water services business.

These businesses make up almost all of the overlap between Veolia’s and Suez’s competing operations in the UK.

In response to the provisional findings of the Phase 2 inquiry, Veolia said that it would sell the UK Suez waste business. The CMA will determine the conditions of the sale, as well as the sales of the water services businesses.

Veolia and Suez are active across the full waste management supply chain.