On March 24, 2025, the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) announced its approval of the merger between the reinforcing steel activities of Südwest Beteiligungen and Van Merksteijn Steel Group. This merger will result in the establishment of a new company focused on the production and sale of reinforcement steel products.

The merger was officially notified to the BCA on March 17, 2025, with a request for the application of a simplified procedure. The BCA determined that the conditions for this procedure were satisfied and found no objections to the proposed concentration.

Südwest Beteiligungen is a vertically integrated company based in Germany, specializing in reinforcement steel products, including the production of billets, wire rods, and various reinforcement steel products such as rebars, coils, and mesh wire rods. In contrast, Van Merksteijn Steel Group operates in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, producing and selling similar reinforcement steel products through its subsidiaries, Van Merksteijn International and Intersig.

The BCA plays a crucial role in enforcing competition policy in Belgium, targeting anti-competitive practices like cartels and abuse of dominance, while also reviewing significant merger operations. The authority collaborates with other EU competition authorities and the European Commission as part of the European Competition Network (ECN).