The president clarified that, in any case, it will be the Defense of Competition that defines whether or not it generates “some type of concentration.”
President Luis Lacalle Pou admitted that “there is concern” in the government about the purchase of three Marfrig by Minerva, although he clarified that it will be Competition Defense the one that determines whether or not it generates “some type of concentration” in the chore Uruguayan.
The president did not hide the government’s feelings about the operation of the Brazilian firm, which could reach almost 50% of the market with this acquisition, which generated objections from different sectors of the government and discomfort from other sectors.
About his personal position, Lacalle Pou clarified: “I have my opinion, but let’s wait for the professional and technical analysis of Defense of Competition”. Once the report was made, he promised to “make a decision based on those elements,” he said at a press conference.
On the merger, the president clarified that “the decisions of a government cannot be capricious” and looked at the full glass of the matter. “There is a very important investment. We are going to be glad that there are important international firms that set their sights on our country”, he highlighted.
Between the support for the Defense of Competition and the request for certainty
For Lacalle Pou, to know if the acquisition “generates or not some type of concentration, corresponds to the Commission for the Promotion and Defense of Competition”. In fact, he recalled that a few months ago Minerva bought the BPU and “with the professionalism and independence that it acts”, Defense of the Competition said that there was no risk of concentration before that operation”.
However, he demanded that the studies be done quickly. “The sooner these issues are clarified, the better,” the president warned, noting that if that happens, “it generates certainty, which is what it should generate.” Uruguay in all fields.” And he added: “You don’t have to go around sleeping or making bows. The sooner the Antitrust Defense receives the information and the sooner it has an opinion, the better for everyone.”
Source: Ambito
