SMM Legal has advised PKN Orlen on merger clearance proceedings before the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) related to its merger with PGNiG. Bird & Bird advised PGNiG on competition law aspects of the planned merger.
"In the decision, the UOKiK President concluded that the commitments proposed by the participants appropriately address the concerns raised during the procedure and ensure that the transaction would not affect any of the relevant markets in a negative way," SMM Legal informed. "The UOKiK President’s concentration approval is thus conditional. Now the parties will work on the merger itself. Once the transaction goes through, the parties will have 12 months to implement the remedy involving the divestment from Gas Storage Poland."
Operating in Central Europe and Canada, PKN Orlen is an energy and fuel provider.
Polskie Gornictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo operates on the Polish natural gas market. The company specializes in the exploration and production of natural gas and crude oil.
The SMM Legal team included Managing Partner Maciej Mataczynski, Senior Associates Milosz Malaga and Piotr Andrzejewski, and Associates Anna Mathews, Dagmara Dragan, Wojciech Rzepinski, and Julia Pampuchowicz.
The Bird & Bird team was led by Senior Associate Marcin Alberski and included Managing Partner Slawomir Szepietowski, Partner Pawel Bajno, Senior Associate Michal Blaszkiewicz, and Associate Stanislaw Szymanek.