The Competition Council allows the merger of market participants: decision No. 49-2 published

The Competition Council has approved the merger of market participants, and this decision was announced today, November 9, 2026, in the official publication of the Republic of Latvia, Latvijas Vēstnesis No. 216. The notice was published in the institutional section of the publication with the general official reference OP 2026/216, where it occupies the 3rd position. With the publication in the official gazette, the decision becomes publicly available and enforceable, and it determines which market participants may merge.

Official References of the Decision and Position in the Publication

The official announcement specifies the following identifiers:

• Institution: Competition Council.
• Name of the act: “On the merger of market participants”.
• Act number: Competition Council Decision No. 49-2.
• Publication: Latvijas Vēstnesis, November 9, 2026, No. 216.
• Official reference: OP 2026/216, 3rd position, “INSTITUTIONS” section.
• Electronic accessibility: https://www.vestnesis.lv/url/17027.

The decision was published in the same section of the publication as other institutional notices – information from the Prosecutor General’s Office regarding the appointment of the Deputy Prosecutor General (1st and 2nd positions) and information from the State Plant Protection Service regarding the granting of breeder’s rights (4th position). Competition supervision matters are published in the official gazette separately from the binding regulations of local governments, which form a separate section in this same issue.

What the Publication Reveals and What It Does Not

The official notice indicates only the name and number of the decision – it does not list the participants of the merger, does not define the relevant market, and does not mention any possible conditions or obligations in the decision. These elements can be read in the full text of the decision, which is available in the electronic version of the official publication under the specified reference. This means that the scope of the changes in market structure and the impact of concentration on specific products or services can only be determined after reading the full document.

Series of Concentration Decisions in Autumn Publications

Decision No. 49-2 is part of a series of concentration decisions published by the Competition Council this autumn:

• Competition Council Decision No. 45 and No. 46 – both “On the merger of market participants”, published in Latvijas Vēstnesis No. 210, October 30, 2026.
• Competition Council Decision No. 47 – “On the merger of market participants”, published in Latvijas Vēstnesis No. 215, November 6, 2026.
• Competition Council Decision No. 49-2 – “On the merger of market participants”, published in Latvijas Vēstnesis No. 216, November 9, 2026.

This sequence indicates that the concentration screening process is ongoing and decisions appear in the official publication with an interval of a few days. The numbering format with a sub-number (“49-2”) refers to an individual case number and the sequence number of the decision within it; therefore, each publication entry must be read together with the relevant case materials.

Why this is important

Merger clearance is the moment when market participants gain the right to implement the transaction, and thus it is the final official hurdle before the concentration has a real impact on the market. For companies, competitors, and consumers, the publication of the decision is the only mandatory signal that the concentration has been accepted. Since the full text is not reflected in the notice today, interested parties obtain the precise names of the participants, the volume of the transaction, and any possible conditions from the electronic version of the document.

Official source: Competition Council, “On the merger of market participants”, Competition Council Decision No. 49-2, published in Latvijas Vēstnesis No. 216, November 9, 2026, official reference OP 2026/216, item 3 (https://www.vestnesis.lv/url/17027).