How will EU's new merger rules cope with Europe’s ‘zombie’ paper mills?
By Nicholas Hirst ( September 24, 2026, 12:25 GMT | Comment) -- UPM and Sappi's attempt to combine assets in the declining paper manufacturing sector will force the EU's merger regulator to clarify its stance on "zombie" companies and shrinking industries. In the past, it has been skeptical that mergers are needed to rationalize excess capacity. But the European Commission's president is fresh from promising a more business-friendly approach to merger review. How might that play into the debate?It’s crunch time: For paper makers UPM and Sappi, for the EU’s new framework for merger review — and for the bloc’s head of competition. ...
Prepare for tomorrow’s regulatory change, today
MLex identifies risk to business wherever it emerges, with specialist reporters across the globe providing exclusive news and deep-dive analysis on the proposals, probes, enforcement actions and rulings that matter to your organization and clients, now and in the longer term.
Know what others in the room don’t, with features including:
- Daily newsletters for Antitrust, M&A, Trade, Data Privacy & Security, Technology, AI and more
- Custom alerts on specific filters including geographies, industries, topics and companies to suit your practice needs
- Predictive analysis from expert journalists across North America, the UK and Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific
- Curated case files bringing together news, analysis and source documents in a single timeline
Experience MLex today with a 14-day free trial.