Bundeskartellamt examines acquisition of daily newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)

On 30 January 2013, the Bundeskartellamt was notified of plans by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH, or rather its printing house, to acquire the publishing business of the daily paper Frankfurter Rundschau from the insolvent Druck- und Verlagshaus Frankfurt am Main.

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt: "The examination period in this proceeding is very short because of the little remaining time in which the financing of the Frankfurter Rundschau is still ensured. The insights we have gained informally and from previous proceedings do not allow for a final assessment of the proposed acquisition at this stage, not least because we also have to examine whether the conditions for a rescue merger are fulfilled."

This will depend to a great extent on whether FAZ would accrue the current market position of Frankfurter Rundschau anyway if the latter would disappear from the market and whether there is a serious alternative buyer for Frankfurter Rundschau.