EU approves Swisscom's €8bn acquisition of Vodafone Italia

EU approves Swisscom's €8bn acquisition of Vodafone Italia

Swisscom's logo affixed to a corporate office

The European Commission has approved Swisscom's €8 billion acquisition of Vodafone's Italian business, clearing another regulatory hurdle to bring the transaction closer to closing.

The Commission approved the acquisition under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, enabling the transaction to close unconditionally.

Subscribe today for free


“The approval is another important step on the way to securing the regulatory approvals needed to finalise the transaction,” Swisscom said in a statement.

The proposed merger, first announced in March, would see Vodafone Italy combine with Swisscom’s Fastweb brand.

In addition to approval from the European Commission, the transaction has been greenlit by both the Presidency of the Council of Ministers in Italy and the Swiss Competition Commission.

However, Italian competition authorities are conducting a more thorough review of the deal, as they announced last week that they had initiated a Phase II review, which occurs when a prospective merger could raise significant competition concerns.

Swisscom remains unfazed by the investigation, however, with the company expecting the deal to go ahead as planned with completion expected sometime in the first quarter of 2025.

RELATED STORIES

Swisscom's Vodafone Italy deal faces scrutiny from competition watchdog

Vodafone agrees €8bn sale of Italian unit to Swisscom

Vodafone confirms exclusive discussions with Swisscom for sale of Italian unit

Gift this article