The Office for the Protection of Competition in the Czech Republic has granted approval for the merger between EUROMEDIA GROUP, a.s., PEMIC BOOKS a.s., and BOOKNET s.r.o., but with specific commitments that must be fulfilled. This decision has been finalized and is now in effect.

EUROMEDIA is primarily engaged in book publishing and sales, both wholesale and retail, within the Czech Republic. The PEMIC group, which includes PEMIC BOOKS and BOOKNET, operates similarly in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The overlapping activities of these companies raised concerns about potential competition distortion in the wholesale distribution of printed books.

Following a thorough investigation, the competition authority identified significant risks associated with the merger, prompting an in-depth review. The authority ultimately approved the merger on the condition that EUROMEDIA divests all wholesale distribution activities related to printed books, which represent a major portion of PEMIC's operations.

As part of the commitments, EUROMEDIA is required to separate all assets related to the wholesale distribution of printed books into a new company, which must be sold to an independent entity within a specified timeframe. This new entity will be managed by an independent trustee until the sale is completed. Additionally, EUROMEDIA is prohibited from attempting to reacquire the divested assets for a period of ten years.

The competition authority believes these commitments will sufficiently safeguard competition in the wholesale book distribution market. They also concluded that the merger would not significantly distort competition in other related markets. Further details regarding the market analysis and commitments will be made public once business confidentiality issues are resolved.