EFMS Blackstone Urbaser Waste Collection Merger
Summary
The European Commission approved the EFMS/Blackstone/Urbaser merger under Article 6(1)(b) of the EU Merger Regulation. The case proceeded under the super-simplified procedure at Phase 1, indicating no competition concerns. Blackstone's acquisition of waste management companies EFMS and Urbaser was cleared without conditions.
What changed
The European Commission issued a clearance decision for the acquisition of sole control over EFMS and Urbaser by Blackstone under Regulation (EC) No 139/2004. The merger was reviewed at Phase 1 under the super-simplified procedure, which applies to transactions that do not raise competition concerns. The companies operate in waste collection (NACE 38.1) and waste recovery (NACE 38.2).
The clearance decision was adopted on 31 March 2026 with a provisional deadline of 16 April 2026. The transaction parties should monitor for any conditions attached to the clearance and ensure all post-closing notification requirements under national implementing legislation are satisfied. The case was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU C/2026/1802).
What to do next
- Verify if any Member State-level filings are required for implementation
- Monitor for conditions attached to the Phase 1 clearance decision
- Ensure post-closing notification compliance under national implementing legislation
Source document (simplified)
M.12371
Merger Ongoing Super-simplified Subscribe for updates
EFMS / BLACKSTONE / URBASER
Companies: EFMS | BLACKSTONE | URBASER Last decision date: 31.03.2026 Case type: Merger Investigation phase: 1 Regulation: Council Regulation 139/2004 Notification date: 09.03.2026 Provisional deadline: 16.04.2026 Economic activities: E.38.1 - Waste collection (NACE Rev. 2.1) E.38.2 - Waste recovery (NACE Rev. 2.1) Decisions Art. 6(1)(b) of 31.03.2026 Other case related information Publication in the OJ: OJEU C/2026/1802 of 18.03.2026 Description of the concentration of 10.03.2026: EN published on 11.03.2026
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