The presentation of a merger case to the European Commission for approval: The case of Price Waterhouse/Coopers & Lybrand

Abstract

This paper examines the pubic affairs contribution to the successful outcome of an application for merger approval to the European Commission, as part of the worldwide merger of two professional services firms — the first and, to date, the only merger of its kind on this scale in this sector. After describing the context in which the parties' decision to merge was taken, the paper takes a step‐by‐step approach through European merger control procedure and, against that background, explains why the contribution made by public affairs became a key management issue for the parties in this case. The paper describes the public affairs actions taken by the parties to support their legal and economic arguments for approval in order to address some questions about the potential consequences of the merger, to counter some adverse media reaction and ultimately to obtain regulatory approval.

Citation

Hatcher, M. (1999), "The presentation of a merger case to the European Commission for approval: The case of Price Waterhouse/Coopers & Lybrand", Journal of Communication Management, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 260-275. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb026051