In June 2008, the European Commission (EC) issued a statement of objections, outlining its concerns regarding OMV’s potential merger with MOL. OMV then proposed commitments it would be willing to offer. The EC has, however, indicated that these commitments are not acceptable.
OMV stated that it cannot offer more far-reaching commitments without jeopardizing the economic and strategic rationale for the transaction.
Gerhard Roiss, OMV’s deputy chairman and head of refining and marketing, said: In addition to the sale of retail stations in various countries, OMV had proposed a shared-refinery cost center model to address the EC’s principal concerns regarding the concentration of refining capacity across the region. OMV proposed the creation of a refinery center, in which an independent third party could have held a capacity share with a share in corporate governance equal to OMV’s.
