| 2.3.2006 | SL | Uradni list Evropske unije | L 61/17 | 2.3.2006 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | L 61/17 |
| ODLOČBA KOMISIJE | COMMISSION DECISION |
| z dne 3. maja 2005 | of 3 May 2005 |
| o združljivosti koncentracije s skupnim trgom in delovanjem Sporazuma EGP | declaring a concentration compatible with the common market and the functioning of the EEA Agreement |
| (v zadevi COMP/M.3178 – Bertelsmann/Springer/JV) | (Case COMP/M.3178 — Bertelsmann/Springer/JV) |
| (notificirano pod dokumentarno številko C(2005) 1368) | (notified under document number C(2005) 1368) |
| (Besedilo v angleškem jeziku je edino verodostojno) | (Only the English text is authentic) |
| (Besedilo velja za EGP) | (Text with EEA relevance) |
| (2006/171/ES) | (2006/171/EC) |
| Komisija je 3. maja 2005 na podlagi Uredbe Sveta (ES) št. 139/2004 z dne 20. januarja 2004 o nadzoru koncentracij podjetij (1), in zlasti člena 8(2) Uredbe sprejela odločbo glede združitve. Različica, ki ni zaupna, je na voljo v verodostojnem jeziku zadeve in v delovnih jezikih Komisije na spletni strani Generalnega direktorata za konkurenco, na naslednjem naslovu: http://europa.eu.int/comm/competition/index_en.html | On 3 May 2005 the Commission adopted a Decision in a merger case under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings (1), and in particular Article 8(1) of that Regulation. A non-confidential version of the full Decision can be found in the authentic language of the case and in the working languages of the Commission on the website of the Directorate-General for Competition, at the following address: http://europa.eu.int/comm/competition/index_en.html |
| (1) | Komisija je 4. novembra 2004 prejela priglasitev predlagane koncentracije v skladu s členom 4 Uredbe Sveta (ES) št. 139/2004 („Uredba o združitvah“), s katero so nemška podjetja Bertelsmann AG („Bertelsmann“), njegova hčerinska družba pod izključnim nadzorom Gruner+Jahr AG & Co. KG („G+J“) in Axel Springer AG („Springer“), z nakupom delnic v novo nastali družbi, ki je mešana družba, prevzela skupni nadzor nad nemškim podjetjem NewCo („NewCo“). Bertelsmann (in G+J) ter Springer se skupno imenujejo „stranke“. | (1) |
| (2) | Nemški organ za konkurenco, Bundeskartellamt, je 29. novembra 2004 obvestil Komisijo, da bi predlagana koncentracija lahko bistveno ogrozila konkurenco na nemškem trgu za globoki tisk ali na njegovi alternativi, na nemškem trgu za časovno kritične tiskane proizvode, zlasti revije. | On 4 November 2004, the Commission received a notification under Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (‘the Merger Regulation’) a proposed concentration by which the German undertakings Bertelsmann AG (‘Bertelsmann’), its solely controlled subsidiary Gruner+Jahr AG & Co. KG (‘G+J’), and Axel Springer AG (‘Springer’), would acquire joint control of the German undertaking NewCo (‘NewCo’) by way of purchase of shares in a newly created company constituting a joint venture. Bertelsmann (and G+J) and Springer are collectively referred to as ‘the Parties’. |
| (3) | Komisija je v odločbi z dne 23. decembra 2004 ugotovila, da priglašeno dejanje vzbuja resne pomisleke glede skladnosti s skupnim trgom in delovanjem Sporazuma EGP. Komisija je zato v tej zadevi sprožila postopek v skladu s členom 6(1)(c) Uredbe o združitvah in odločila, da mora na podlagi člena 9(3)(a) Uredbe o združitvah sama obravnavati vidike, ki jih je sprožil nemški organ za konkurenco. | (2) |
| (4) | Bertelsmann je mednarodna medijska družba. Njegove tiskarske dejavnosti so skoncentrirane v njegovi hčerinski družbi Arvato AG („Arvato“), ki nadzoruje nemško rotacijo za globoki tisk maul-belser v Nurembergu, stroj za ofset tisk Mohn Media v Gueterslohu in različne druge stroje za tiskanje v Evropi, kot na primer rotacijo za globoki tisk Eurogravure S.p.A v Italiji in Eurohueco S.A v Španiji. Poleg tega Arvato namerava v naslednjih dveh letih ustanoviti nov obrat za globoki tisk v Liverpoolu (Združeno kraljestvo). Bertelsmannova hčerinska družba pod izključnim nadzorom G+J, ki je dejavna na področjih založništva, tiskanja ter distribucije časopisov in revij, ima dva obrata za globoki tisk v Nemčiji, v Itzehoeu (v bližini Hamburga) in Dresdnu. | On 29 November 2004 the German competition authority, the Bundeskartellamt, informed the Commission that the proposed concentration would threaten to affect significantly competition, either in the German market for rotogravure printing, or, in the alternative in the German market for time-critical print products, in particular magazines. |
| (5) | Springer je dejaven v založništvu, tiskarstvu ter distribuciji časopisov in revij ter ima v lasti delnice ponudnikov televizijskih in radijskih radiodifuznih storitev. Springer upravlja dva obrata za globoki tisk v Nemčiji, in sicer v Ahrensburgu (v bližini Hamburga) in v Darmstadtu. Upravlja tudi tri obrate za ofsetni tisk, ki tiskajo izključno časopise. | (3) |
| (6) | Koncentracija sestoji iz petih nemških obratov za globoki tisk podjetij Arvato, G+J in Springer ter iz načrtovanega obrata za globoki tisk v Združenem kraljestvu podjetja Arvato, ki so jih ta podjetja prispevala v NewCo. Na podlagi transakcije bosta imela Bertelsmann in G+J vsak 37,45-odstotni delež v NewCo, Springer pa bo imel preostalih 25,1-odstotni s pravico do veta pri sprejemanju strateških odločitev. NewCo je popolno opravilno skupno podjetje in je pod skupnim nadzorom Bertelsmanna in Springerja. | By decision dated 23 December 2004, the Commission found that the notified operation raised serious doubts as to its compatibility with the common market and the functioning of the EEA Agreement. The Commission accordingly initiated proceedings in this case pursuant to Article 6(1)(c) of the Merger Regulation and decided that it should, by virtue of Article 9(3)(a) of the Merger Regulation, itself deal with the aspects raised by the German competition authority. |
| (7) | Svetovalni odbor za koncentracije je na svojem 131. sestanku z dne 22. aprila 2005 z večino podprl predlog Komisije za izdajo odločbe o odobritvi (2). | (4) |
| (8) | Pooblaščenec za zaslišanje je v poročilu z dne 27. aprila sprejel stališče, da je bila pravica do zaslišanja strank spoštovana (3). | Bertelsmann is an international media company. Its printing activities are concentrated in its subsidiary Arvato AG (‘Arvato’), which controls the German rotogravure printer maul-belser in Nuremberg, the offset printer Mohn Media in Guetersloh and various other printers in Europe, such as the rotogravure printers Eurogravure S.p.A. in Italy and Eurohueco S.A. in Spain. In addition, Arvato plans to start up a new rotogravure printing facility in Liverpool (UK) in the next two years. Furthermore, Bertelsmann’s solely controlled publishing arm G+J, active in the publishing, printing and distribution of newspapers and magazines, has two rotogravure printing facilities in Germany, located in Itzehoe (near Hamburg) and Dresden. |
| I. UPOŠTEVNI TRGI | (5) |
| Upoštevni proizvodni trgi | Springer is active in the publishing, printing and distribution of newspapers and magazines, and holds shares in television and radio broadcasters. Springer operates two rotogravure printing facilities in Germany, namely in Ahrensburg (near Hamburg) and in Darmstadt. It also operates three off-set printing facilities which print exclusively newspapers. |
| (9) | V zvezi z upoštevnimi proizvodnimi trgi se je raziskava trga Komisije osredotočila na vprašanje, ali in v kakšnem obsegu sta globoki tisk in ofsetni tisk medsebojno zamenljivi tehniki in ali različni tiskarski proizvodi, in sicer revije, katalogi in oglasi pomenijo ločene proizvodne trge. | (6) |
| (10) | Raziskava trga je pokazala, da globokega tiska na splošno ni mogoče nadomestiti z ofsetnim tiskom. Globoki tisk se uporablja predvsem za naročila za tiskanje velikega obsega, t.j. naročila za tiskanje z velikim številom izvodov in strani, medtem ko je ofsetna tehnika v veliki meri omejena na manjše količine. Stroški postopka tiskanja močno odstopajo pri ofsetnem in globokem tisku, odvisno od obsega naročila za tiskanje. Ker so za rotacije za globoki tisk značilni razmeroma visoki fiksni stroški, imajo zato večjo zmogljivost in boljšo storilnost in zato lahko hitreje in stroškovno bolj ugodno proizvedejo veliko število strani. Stroji za ofset tisk so bolj omejeni v številu različnih strani, ki jih lahko natisnejo pri enem tiskanju (največ 72 strani v primerjavi z do 192 strani v globokem tisku). Raziskava trga je potrdila, da ofsetni tisk ne pomeni konkurenčnega pritiska globokemu tisku revij z več kot 64 stranmi in v več kot 360 000 izvodih, in tudi tisku katalogov ter oglasov z več kot 64 stranmi in v več kot 450 000 izvodih. | The concentration consists in the contribution to NewCo of Arvato’s, G+J’s and Springer’s five German rotogravure facilities and of Arvato’s planned rotogravure printing facility in the UK. Following the transaction, Bertelsmann and G+J will each hold an interest of 37,45 % in NewCo and Springer will hold the remaining 25,1 %, with veto rights relating to strategic decisions. NewCo constitutes a full-function joint venture and is jointly controlled by Bertelsmann and Springer. |
| (11) | Rotacija za globoki tisk lahko tiska revije, oglase in kataloge. Kljub temu obstaja vsaj za revije ločen proizvodni trg. Revije so zaradi aktualnosti svoje vsebine in poznih rokov za vstavljanje oglasov na splošno bolj časovno kritične kot oglasi ali katalogi. Poleg tega je tiskanje revij povezano z višjimi standardi glede zaključnega postopka, zlasti za priloge ter dodane vzorce proizvodov. Ustrezni stroji končne izdelave so v večini primerov nameščeni na kraju tiskanja ali v njegovi bližini, da bi se omogočila pravočasna objava revij, medtem ko je objava katalogov, na primer, bolj pogosto v rokah tretjih strank. Poleg tega se distribucijski sistem za revije bistveno razlikuje od distribucije katalogov in oglasov, zato mora biti postopek tiskanja prilagojen tem posebnim zahtevam revij. Glede katalogov in oglasov lahko ostane nedoločeno, ali sestavljajo en sam ali ločene proizvodne trge, saj sum glede konkurence ne izhaja iz nobenega opisa trga. | (7) |
| Upoštevni geografski trgi | The Advisory Committee on Concentrations, at its 131st meeting on 22 April 2005, with majority supported the Commission’s proposal to issue a clearance decision (2). |
| (12) | Nacionalne geografske trge za tiskanje revij je potrebno opredeliti vsaj za Nemčijo. Za preostali del EGP lahko geografski trgi za tiskanje revij ostanejo nedoločeni, saj celo iz najožje opredelitve trga (nacionalni trgi) ni nobenega suma glede konkurence. | (8) |
| (13) | Nemške revije so skoraj izključno tiskane v Nemčiji. En razlog za to je časovna kritičnost revij, saj bi razdalja med krajem tiskanja in distribucijskim območjem povzročala zamude pri dostavi. Poleg tega ima mnogo tiskarjev v tujini težave z dobavo nemškim založnikom. Nemški sistem distribucije revij je zaradi svoje decentralizirane strukture relativno zapleten (v nasprotju s francoskim, na primer, kjer je Pariz centralizirano distribucijsko središče). Poleg tega založniki delijo Nemčijo na tako imenovana „Nielsen-območja“, ki pomenijo različno sestavljene ciljne skupine za oglase. Postopek tiskanja je potrebno ustrezno prilagoditi, kar je za številne tiskarje, ki se nahajajo izven Nemčije, težko. | The Hearing Officer, in a report dated 27 April 2005, took the view that the right of the parties to be heard had been respected (3). |
| (14) | Glede katalogov je raziskava trga pokazala, da so naročila za tiskanje praviloma razdeljena med več tiskarjev, da bi se tako zagotovili varnost dobave in pravočasna dostava zahtevanih velikih količin. Potrjeno je bilo, da tiskarskih storitev iz Nemčije ne uvažajo samo samo naročniki katalogov v drugih državah, ampak da tudi nemški naročniki smatrajo tuje tiskarje za uresničljivo/izvedljivo možnost. Upoštevni geografski trg za kataloge se lahko opredeli kot Nemčija in sosednje države (Francija, Belgija, Nizozemska, Luksemburg, Švica, Avstrija, Češka, Poljska in Danska), ter tudi Italija in Slovaška, zajema pa velike tuje tiskarje kot so Quebecor, RotoSmeets, Mondadori, Ilte, Rotocalcografica in Ringier, na teh območjih. | I. THE RELEVANT MARKETS |
| (15) | Tiskanje oglasov je za nemške naročnike očitno v veliki meri opravljeno v Nemčiji. Vendar kljub nizkemu uvoznemu deležu tiskanja oglasov v primerjavi z uvoznim deležem tiskanja katalogov, se lahko nemški naročniki zlahka obrnejo na verodostojne tuje tiskarje. Tiskanje oglasov ne povzroča posebnih težav, primerljivih s tistimi na trgu tiskanja revij, kot je posebnost končne faze tiskanja ali posebni pogoji distribucije. Poleg tega oglasi na splošno niso tako časovno kritični kot so revije. Ker večina založnikov glavnih katalogov izdaja tudi oglase, bi bilo za njih lažje, če bi tudi za naročila oglasov uporabljali že obstoječe povezave s tujimi tiskarji. Zato je geografski obseg trga za globoki tisk oglasov isti kot za kataloge, tj. obsega Nemčijo, njene sosednje države ter Italijo in Slovaško. | Za preostali del EGP lahko geografski trgi za tiskanje katalogov in/ali oglasov ostanejo nedoločeni, saj celo iz najožje opredelitve trga (nacionalni trgi) ni nobenega suma glede konkurence. | Relevant Product Markets |
| II. OVREDNOTENIE | (9) | With respect to the relevant product markets, the Commission’s market investigation focused on the question whether and to what extent rotogravure and offset printing are interchangeable techniques and whether the different printing applications, namely magazines, catalogues and advertisements constitute separate product markets. |
| (16) | Predlagano skupno podjetje bo delovalo na trgih za globoki tisk revij, katalogov in oglasov v nekaterih državah EGP. Najresnejši učinek predlagane koncentracije – zaradi lokacije petih obstoječih tiskarskih obratov, prispevanih v skupno podjetje – bo občutiti v Nemčiji. | (10) | The market investigation has shown that rotogravure printing can generally not be substituted by offset printing. Rotogravure printing is mainly used for large-volume print orders, i.e. print orders with a big number of copies and pages while the use of the offset method is largely restricted to smaller volumes. The costs of a printing process strongly deviate for offset and rotogravure depending on the volume of a print order. While rotogravure presses are characterised by comparatively higher fixed costs, they have a bigger capacity and higher performance and can therefore process large numbers of pages faster and more cost-efficiently. Offset printing presses are, moreover, more limited in the number of different pages they can print in one print-run (maximum 72 pages as compared to up to 192 pages in rotogravure). The market investigation has confirmed that offset printing does not constitute a competitive constraint for rotogravure printing of magazines with more than 64 pages and more than 360 000 copies as well as for catalogues and advertisements with more than 64 pages and more than 450 000 copies. |
| 1. Trg za globoki tisk katalogov in oglasov | (11) | A rotogravure printing press can print magazines, advertisements and catalogues. Nevertheless, at least for magazines a separate product market exists. Magazines are generally more time-critical than advertisements or catalogues due to the topicality of their content and the late deadlines for the insertion of advertisements. Magazine printing is, moreover, connected to higher requirements with respect to the finishing process, in particular for inserts and add-ons of sample products. The relevant finishing machines are in most cases installed at the printing site or close to it in order to allow for a timely finishing of the magazines whereas the finishing of catalogues for example is more often done by third parties. Furthermore, the distribution system for magazines differs considerably from the distribution of catalogues and advertisements, and the printing process has thus to be adapted to these specific requirements of magazines. With respect to catalogues and advertisements, it can be left open whether they constitute one single or separate product markets as no competition concerns arise under any market delineation. |
| (17) | Komisija je ugotovila, da bo, glede na ocene, ki jih bodo dale stranke na podlagi količin iz leta 2003, tržni delež NewCo na trgu za globoki tisk katalogov in oglasov znašal do [20–25] % (4) na trgu, ki vključuje Nemčijo, njene sosednje države ter Italijo in Slovaško. Na osnovi samostojnih trgov za kataloge in oglase, bo imelo predlagano skupno podjetje [15–20]-odstotni (4) delež na trgu za tiskanje katalogov in [20–25]-odstotni (4) delež na trgu za tiskanje oglasov. Za Bertelsmannove dejavnosti globokega tiska, ki ostajajo zunaj skupnega podjetja, mora biti dodanih [0–5] % (4) na vsakega od teh tržnih deležov. Tako na ločenih trgih kot tudi na sestavljenem trgu katalogov in oglasov bosta v kratkem času sledili podjetji Schlott and Quebecor s tržnimi deleži med [10–15] % (4) in [10–15] % (4) in podjetje TSB s približno [10–15] % (4). Zato na takem trgu ni sumov glede konkurence, kot tudi ne na sestavljenem trgu tiskanja katalogov in oglasov ter na samostojnih trgih za tiskanje katalogov in oglasov. Poleg tega tržni deleži skupnega podjetja tudi na vseh ostalih možnih geografskih trgih v EGP ne povzročajo suma glede konkurence (5). | Relevant Product Markets |
| 2. Trg za globoki tisk revij | (12) | At least for Germany, a national geographic market for magazine printing has to be assumed. For the rest of the EEA, the geographic market for magazine printing can be left open since even under the narrowest market definition (national markets) no competition concerns arise. |
| (18) | Tržni delež skupnega podjetja na nemškem prodajnem trgu za globoki tisk revij bo okoli [0–50] % (4). Naslednja akterja sta TSB in Schlott z okoli [20–25] % (4) vsak in Burda z [0–5]-odstotnim (4) deležem. Uvozi, ki jih v znatnem obsegu prispevajo Burdini tiskarski obrati v Vieux-Thann/Francija in Bratislavi/Slovaška, znašajo [0–5] % (4). Poleg teh uvozov je samo ena nemška revija tiskana v tujini, v nizozemski tiskarni RotoSmeets. Tržni deleži skupnega podjetja ne povzročajo suma glede konkurence na drugih prizadetih nacionalnih trgih v EGP. Zato je Komisija analizirala samo nemški trg. | (13) | German magazines are almost exclusively printed in Germany. One reason for this is the time-criticalness of magazines as the risk of delays in delivery increases with the distance between the printing site and the distribution area. Moreover, many printers abroad currently encounter some difficulties to supply German publishers. The German magazine distribution system is comparatively complicated due to its decentralised structure (as opposed to the French one, for example, where Paris is the centralised distribution hub). In addition, publishers divide Germany into different so-called ‘Nielsen-areas’ which exhibit different compositions of target groups for advertisement. The printing process has to be adjusted accordingly which is difficult for many printers located outside of Germany. |
| (19) | Če bi NewCo lahko dvignili cene in naročniki ne bi mogli preprečiti takega povišanja cen, saj zaradi pomanjkljive razpoložljive zmogljivosti ne bi mogli zamenjati tiskarjev, bi bili naročniki (založniki) na nemškem trgu za globoki tisk revij lahko oškodovani. Količina, ki so jo stranke dobavile na prodajni trg, je znašala [150–200 kt] (4) ([100–150 kt] (4) za Bertelsmann; [45–50 kt] (4) za Springer) leta 2003 in nadaljnih [10–15 kt] (4) te dobave je, zaradi nakupa založniških hiš s strani strank, medtem postalo omejenih. Ob upoštevanju tega znaša skupna količina, ki so jo stranke dobavile na prodajni trg, [100–150 kt] (4). | (14) | As to catalogues, the market investigation showed that print orders are regularly split among several printers in order to ensure security of supply and a timely delivery of the required high volumes. It was broadly confirmed that not only catalogue customers in other countries import printing services, mostly from Germany, but also German customers regard foreign printers as viable alternatives. The relevant geographic market for catalogues can be defined as Germany plus the neighbouring countries (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Denmark) as well as Italy and Slovakia, covering the large foreign printers in this areas such as Quebecor, RotoSmeets, Mondadori, Ilte, Rotocalcografica and Ringier. |
| (20) | Komisija je analizirala, ali: 1. imajo konkurenti trenutno dovolj dodatnih zmogljivosti, da bi v znatni meri nadomestili te prodaje; 2. bi konkurenti lahko dosegli tako zmogljivost, če bi svoje zmogljivosti prenesli v tiskanje revij; 3. bo načrtovano povečanje zmogljivost omogočilo dodatno zmogljivost; in 4. ali bi potencialni konkurenti lahko prispevali k zagotavljanju nadaljnje zmogljivosti tiskanja revij v primeru povišanja cen. | (15) | Advertisement printing for German customers is apparently to a large extent done in Germany. However, in spite of a lower import ratio for advertisement printing than for catalogue printing, German customers can easily turn to credible foreign printers. The printing of advertisement does not create any specific difficulties comparable to those in the magazine printing market, such as the special finishing or specific conditions of distribution. Moreover, advertisements are generally not as time-critical as magazines. Since most publishers of main catalogues also issue advertisements, it would in addition be easy for them to use their already existing links to foreign printers also for advertisement orders. For this reason, the geographic scope of the market for rotogravure advertisement printing can be considered to be the same as for catalogues, i.e. comprising Germany, its neighbouring countries, and Italy and Slovakia. | For the rest of the EEA the geographic market for catalogue and/or advertisement printing can be left open since even under the narrowest geographic market definition (national markets) no competition concerns arise. |
| (21) | Trenutna dodatna zmogljivost: Izkoriščenost zmogljivosti je bila kar visoka v tej industriji v zadnjih letih. Na podlagi previdnega pristopa z najvišjo izkoriščenostjo zmogljivosti 95 % in predloženih številk za leto 2003, se lahko domneva 95-odstotna dodatna zmogljivost nemških konkurentov v višini 17 kt. | II. ASSESSMENT |
| (22) | Zmogljivost s prenosom: Rotacije za globoki tisk lahko samo v omejenem obsegu preusmerijo svojo zmogljivost iz tiskanja katalogov in oglasov v tiskanje revij. To je predvsem posledica razlik v periodičnosti, času tiskanja in količini različnih tiskarskih proizvodov. Revije so tiskane periodično (tedensko, na dva tedna in mesečno). Zaradi svoje dolgoročnosti in periodičnosti objave pomenijo „osnovno obremenitev“ za tiskarske obrate, ki čez celo leto zapolnjuje tiskarske stroje. V nasprotju s tem pa se katalogi podjetij za prodajo po pošti ali organizatorjev potovanj izdajo dvakrat na leto v velikih tiskanih količinah (število izvodov kot tudi število strani) in z daljšim časom tiskanja (več tednov). Ponavadi se tiskajo maja/junija in od oktobra do decembra in pomenijo „najvišjo obremenitev“ tiskarskih strojev. Tretja kategorija tiskanih proizvodov, oglasi, se v bistvu uporablja za izpolnitev zmogljivosti tiskanja med sezono tiskanja katalogov in za dneve v tednu, ko je potrebno natisniti manj revij. Zaradi teh časovnih lastnosti je večina tiskarskih podjetij poudarila, da neomejena preusmeritev iz katalogov/oglasov v revije ne bo izvedljiva. | (16) | The proposed joint venture will be active in the markets for the rotogravure printing of magazines, catalogues and advertising in a number of countries belonging to the EEA. The most serious effects of the proposed concentration — due to the location of the five exiting printing facilities contributed to the joint venture — will be felt in Germany. |
| (23) | Zato so konkurenti odgovorili na raziskavo trga Komisije tako, da so določili številko, ki je pokazala odstotek preusmeritve iz tiskanja oglasov in katalogov v revije, in sicer do [15–20] % (4) njihove skupne zmogljivost. En nemški tiskar ni predložil nobene številke; kot previden pristop in Komisija je v skladu z drugimi rezultati raziskave trga domnevala, da bi ta tiskar, ki ima trenutno razmeroma nizek delež tiskanja revij, lahko namenil dodatnih [10–15] % (4) svoje zmogljivosti tiskanju revij. Na podlagi tega bi lahko trije nemški tiskarji skupaj omogočili približno 130 kt za tiskanje revij, kar bi pomenilo zelo velik delež celotne zmogljivosti, ki jo stranke uporabljajo za tiskanje revij tretjih strank ([150–200 kt] (4) v letu 2003). Tiskanje revij je na splošno bolj profitno kot tiskanje oglasov in mešanica tiskanja oglasov in katalogov. Konkurenti bi tako imeli ne samo možnost, ampak tudi spodbudo za preusmeritev svoje zmogljivosti v tiskanje revij. | 1. Market for the rotogravure printing of catalogues and advertising |
| (24) | Načrtovano povečanje zmogljivosti: trije največji konkurenti strank v Nemčiji Schlott, TSB in Burda načrtujejo povečanje svoje neto zmogljivosti do vsaj 50 kt v naslednjih dveh do treh letih. Poleg tega bi lahko še nadalje povečali svojo neto zmogljivost, vsaj začasno, z odložitvijo načrtovane postopne odstranitve starejših, vendar še vedno delujočih tiskarskih strojev. | (17) | The Commission found that in the market for rotogravure printing of catalogues and advertising, the market shares of NewCo would amount to [20-25] % (*1) on a market including Germany, its neighbouring countries, and Italy and Slovakia according to the estimations of the parties on the basis of the volumes for 2003. On the basis of distinct markets for catalogues and advertising, the proposed joint venture would have a share of [15-20] % (*1) in a market for catalogue printing and of [20-25] % (*1) in one for advertising printing. For Bertelsmann’s rotogravure printing activities remaining outside the joint venture, an additional [0-5] % (*1) have to be added to each of these market shares. On separate markets as well as on a combined catalogue and advertisement market, Schlott and Quebecor would follow in short distance with market shares between [10-15] % (*1) and [10-15] % (*1) and TSB with approximately [10-15] % (*1). On such a market, competition concerns therefore neither arise for a market combining catalogue and advertising prints nor for distinct markets for catalogue and advertising printing. Apart from this, in all other possible geographic markets in the EEA the market shares of the joint venture do not give rise to competition concerns (4). |
| (25) | Potencialna konkurenca: Verjetnost povišanja cene na nemškem trgu za tiskanje revij je nadalje omejena s prisotnostjo več verjetnih potencialnih konkurentov, zlasti RotoSmeets (Nizozemska), Quebecor (Francija), Mondadori (Italija), in v manjši meri Ringier (Švica), ki imajo kraje tiskanja precej blizu nemške meje. Posledično bi ti tiskarji lahko, vsaj z uporabo krajev tiskanja v bližini nemške meje, upoštevali časovne omejitve tiskanja revij. Razlike v distribucijskem sistemu in zaključnih metodah bi potrebovale določeno prilagoditev tujih tiskarjev in tesno sodelovanje z nemškimi strankami. Primer Roto Smeets, ki je trenutno edini tuj tiskar, ki tiska nemško revijo, kaže, da je ta prilagoditveni postopek mogoč. RotoSmeets, Quebecor in Mondadori imajo trenutno najmanj 32 kt proste zmogljivosti, ki bi jo lahko namenili založnikom nemških revij. Dodatna zmogljivost bi bila lahko kmalu zagotovljena, če bi sledili načrtovanemu povečanju zmogljivosti in preusmeritvam v mešano proizvodnjo. | 2. Market for the rotogravure printing of magazines |
| (26) | Nadaljnja konkurenčna škoda bi, poleg upoštevanja zmogljivosti, lahko teoretično nastala, če bi koncentracija izločila konkurenta. Koncentracija bo odstranila Springerja kot neodvisnega konkurenta. Vendar tudi če so upoštevane samo nemške rotacije za globoki tisk, se lahko stranke še vedno obrnejo na druge tri pomembne akterje Schlott, TSB in Burdo, ki imajo veliko obstoječo zmogljivost. Poleg tega, kot je zgoraj navedeno, lahko verodostojni potencialni konkurenti stopijo na trg. | (18) | The market share of the joint venture in the German merchant market for rotogravure printing of magazines will be around [0-50] % (*1). The next players are TSB and Schlott with around [20-25] % (*1) each and Burda with a share of [0-5] % (*1). Imports account for [0-5] % (*1), which are to a very considerable extent supplied by Burda’s printing facilities in Vieux-Thann/France and Bratislava/Slovakia. Apart from these imports only one German magazine is printed abroad by the Dutch printer RotoSmeets. In other affected national markets in the EEA the market shares of the joint venture do not give rise to competition concerns. Therefore, the Commission only analysed the German market. |
| (27) | Na osnovi zgoraj navedenih izračunov bi trije najpomembnejši nemški konkurenti, in sicer Schlott, TSB in Burda lahko ponudili približno dodatnih 197 kt (17 kt dodatnih zmogljivosti, 120 kt preusmeritev zmogljivosti, 50 kt povečanja neto zmogljivosti) za tiskanje nemških revij, medtem ko količina, ki jo proizvedejo stranke na prodajnem trgu znaša [100–150 kt] (4). RotoSmeets, Quebecor in Mondadori se lahko štejejo za verodostojne potencialne konkurente na katere se lahko naročniki nemških revij obrnejo, če bi skupno podjetje dvignilo cene. | (19) | In a German market for rotogravure printing of magazines, customers (the publishers) could be harmed if NewCo were able to raise prices and customers were not able to counter such price increases by switching to other printers due to a lack of available capacity. The volume supplied by the parties to the merchant market amounted to [150-200 kt] (*1) ([100-150 kt] (*1) for Bertelsmann; [45-50 kt] (*1) for Springer) in 2003, and further [10-15 kt] (*1) of this supply have become captive in the meantime due to the acquisition of publishing houses by the parties. Taking this into account, the volume supplied by the parties to the merchant market totalled [100-150 kt] (*1). |
| 3. Usklajevanje na trgu za objavo revij | (20) | The Commission has analysed whether: (1) competitors currently have sufficient spare capacity to replace these sales to a significant extent; (2) competitors could make such capacity available by shifting their capacity to the printing of magazines; (3) planned capacity extensions will make available additional capacity; and (4) whether potential competitors could contribute to making available further capacity for the printing of magazines in case of a price increase. |
| (28) | Komisija je v skladu s členom 2(4) Uredbe o združitvah ocenila, ali bi nastanek skupnega podjetja vodil v usklajevanje konkurenčnega obnašanja Bertelsmanna (vključno z G+J) in konkurenčnega obnašanja Springerja na prodajnem trgu za objavo revij. Ob upoštevanju razmeroma nizkega dela stroškov tiskanja v skupnih stroških za revijo in ob upoštevanju, da je posel založništva revij, v primerjavi s poslom globokega tiska, za stranke najpomembnejši, je Komisija zaključila, da usklajevanje na trgu za objavo revij ni bilo verjetno. | (21) | Current spare capacity: Capacity utilisation was quite high in this industry in recent years. On the basis of a careful approach of a maximum capacity utilisation of 95 % and the figures submitted for 2003, it appears safe to assume a spare capacity for magazine printing of the German competitors of 17 kt. |
| III. SKLEP | (22) | Capacity by shifting: Rotogravure printers can switch their capacity from catalogue and advertising printing to magazine printing only to a limited extent. This results in particular from the differences in periodicity, printing time and volume of the different print products. Magazines are printed periodically (weekly, fortnightly or monthly). Due to their long-term and periodical publication, they constitute the ‘base load’ for the printing facility which fills the presses over the entire year. By contrast, catalogues for mail-order companies or tour operators etc are usually released only twice per year with very high printing volumes (number of copies as well as number of pages) and longer printing times (up to several weeks). They are normally printed in May/June and October till December and constitute a ‘peak load’ for the printing presses. The third category of print products, advertising, is in essence used to fill the printing capacity between the catalogue printing seasons and on the days of the week when fewer magazines are to be printed. Due to these time characteristics, the majority of printing companies indicated that an unlimited switch from catalogues/advertisements to magazines would not be feasible. |
| (29) | Na podlagi zgoraj navedenih razlogov je Komisija zaključila, da predlagana koncentracija ne ovira bistveno učinkovite konkurence na skupnem trgu ali na njegovem znatnem delu, zlasti kot posledica nastanka ali krepitve prevladujočega položaja in ne omejuje konkurence v smislu člena 2(4) Uredbe o združitvah in člena 81 Pogodbe ES. Koncentracija se zato razglasi za združljivo s skupnim trgom v skladu s členom 8(1) Uredbe o združitvah in členom 57 Sporazuma EGP. | (23) | As a result, the competitors who replied to the Commission’s market investigation by stating a figure indicated switching rates from the printing of advertisements and catalogues to magazines of up to [15-20] % (*1) of their total capacity. One German printer did not provide any figure; as a cautious approach and in line with the other results of the market investigation, the Commission assumed that this printer, who currently has a comparatively low share of magazine printing, could dedicate another [10-15] % (*1) of its capacity to magazine printing. On this basis, the three German printers could make available together approximately 130 kt for magazine printing which would account for a very large share of the entire capacity used by the parties for printing third parties’ magazines ([150-200 kt] (*1) in 2003). Magazine printing is generally more profitable than both advertisement printing and a mixture of advertisement and catalogue printing. The competitors would therefore not only have the possibility but also the incentive to shift their capacity to magazine printing. |
| (1) UL L 24, 29.1.2004, str. 1. | (24) | Planned capacity extensions: The parties’ three main competitors in Germany, Schlott, TSB and Burda, are planning to increase their net capacity by at least 50kt over the next two to three years. In addition, they could further increase their net capacity, at least on a temporary basis, in deferring the planned gradual dismantlement of older but still operative presses. |
| (2) UL C 52, 2.3.2006, str. 2. | (25) | Potential competition: The likelihood of a price increase on the German market for magazine printing is further limited by the presence of several credible potential competitors, in particular RotoSmeets (Netherlands), Quebecor (France), Mondadori (Italy), and to a lower extent Ringier (Switzerland) who have printing sites which are fairly close to the German border. As a consequence, these printers would be able to meet the time-constraints in the printing of magazines at least when using the sites closest to the German border. The differences in the distribution system and in the methods of finishing would require some adjustment of the foreign printers and close cooperation with German clients. The example of RotoSmeets who currently is the only foreign printer who prints a German magazine shows that this adaptation process is possible. RotoSmeets, Quebecor and Mondadori have currently at least 32 kt of free capacity which they could readily dedicate to German magazine publishers. Additional capacity could be provided shortly following planned capacity extensions and shifts in the production mix. |
| (3) UL C 52, 2.3.2006, str. 3. | (26) | Further competitive harm, apart from capacity considerations, could theoretically arise from the elimination of a competitor by the concentration. The concentration will remove Springer as an independent competitor. However, even if only the German rotogravure printers are considered, customers can still turn to three other significant players Schlott, TSB and Burda with a large installed capacity. In addition credible potential competitors as mentioned above can enter the market. |
| (4) Deli tega besedila so bili prilagojeni, da zaupni podatki ne bi bili razkriti; ti deli so navedeni v oglatih oklepajih in označeni z zvezdico. | (27) | On the basis of the above calculations, the three most important German competitors, namely Schlott, TSB and Burda, would be able to offer approximately additional 197 kt (17 kt spare capacity, 130 kt production shifting, 50 kt net capacity extension) for magazine printing in response to a potential price increase for the printing of German magazines while the Parties’ merchant market volume equals [100-150 kt] (*1). Moreover, RotoSmeets, Quebecor and Mondadori can be considered as credible potential competitors to which German magazine customers could turn if the joint venture should undertake to raise prices. |
| (5) Tudi na hipotetičnem nemškem nacionalnem trgu za kataloge in/ali oglase bi skupno podjetje doseglo tržni delež med 22 % in 35 %, ki bi vendar bil manjši od deleža vodilnega na teh trgih, Schlotta. | 3. Coordination on the market for magazine publishing |
| | (28) | The Commission also assessed under Article 2(4) of the Merger Regulation whether the creation of the joint venture would lead to the coordination of the competitive behaviour of Bertelsmann (including G+J) and Springer’s competitive behaviour on the downstream market for magazine publishing. In view of the comparatively low part of printing costs in the total costs of a magazine and in view of the pre-eminent importance of the Parties’ magazine publishing business as compared to their rotogravure printing business, the Commission concluded that coordination in magazine publishing was not likely. |
| | III. CONCLUSION |
| | (29) | For the reasons set out above, the Commission concluded that the proposed concentration does not significantly impede effective competition in the common market or a substantial part of it, in particular as a result of the creation or strengthening of a dominant position, and that it does not restrict competition within the meaning of Article 2(4) of the Merger Regulation and Article 81 of the Treaty. The concentration is therefore to be declared compatible with the common market pursuant to Article 8(1) of the Merger Regulation and with the EEA Agreement pursuant to Article 57 thereof. |
| | (1)
OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1. |
| | (2)
OJ C 52, 2.3.2006, p. 2. |
| | (3)
OJ C 52, 2.3.2006, p. 3. |
| | (*1) Parts of this text have been edited to ensure that confidential information is not disclosed; those parts are enclosed in square brackets and marked with an asterisk. |
| | (4) Even on a hypothetical national German market for catalogues and/or advertisements the joint venture would reach market shares between 22 % and 35 % but would be smaller than the leader on these markets, Schlott. |
