Ina and MOL Finally Received EC Approval for the Acquisition of OMV Slovenia

Ina and MOL have finally received approval from the European Commission for the acquisition of OMV Slovenia, which is expected to be completed by the end of June, after which Ina will increase its stake in OMV Slovenia from the current 7.75% to 33%, Ina reported on Saturday.

The MOL Group, of which Ina is a member, has received approval from the European Commission, thereby fulfilling all conditions for the acquisition of a 92.25% stake in OMV Slovenia.

The approval comes after a thorough analysis conducted by the MOL Group regarding the potential acquisition of the OMW Slovenia retail network.

As a prerequisite for a positive decision from the European Commission on the acquisition of OMV, the MOL Group signed a contract in March for the sale of 39 gas stations to Shell from its future combined retail network in Slovenia.

The completion of the transaction with OMV Slovenia is expected by June 30 of this year.

At the same time, they say at Ina, an agreement between MOL and Ina will be implemented, according to which Ina will increase its stake in OMV Slovenia from the current 7.75% to 33%.

– The acquisition of OMV’s operations in Slovenia will enable Ina and MOL to utilize the entire production, logistics, and refining capacities in the broader Central European region to a greater extent than today, and the MOL Group, in partnership with Ina, will become the second-largest player in the Slovenian market – it is stated in the announcement.

It is added that at the level of the MOL Group, there is a belief that market competition in Slovenia will be further strengthened by this transaction and the completion of corrective measures for the protection of market competition, as it is stated, ‘the emergence of a strong second player will exert pressure on the dominant service provider and will result in better prices and quality for all customers in Slovenia’.

Currently, Petrol holds the leading market share in fuel sales in Slovenia.