Brussels, 18 July 2025 — The European Commission has issued a Statement of Objections to Vivendi, alleging the French media group breached EU merger rules by implementing its acquisition of Lagardère before receiving full regulatory approval.
The Commission’s preliminary view is that Vivendi violated both the notification requirement and the “standstill obligation” under the EU Merger Regulation (EUMR), as well as conditions attached to the Commission’s conditional clearance of the deal in June 2023. These rules are designed to prevent companies from merging in ways that might irreparably harm competition in the Single Market.
According to the Commission’s investigation, Vivendi exercised “decisive influence” over Lagardère on multiple occasions—before formally notifying the deal in October 2022, during the review process, and even after the conditional approval, but before the sale of required divestments was completed in late 2023.
Regulators found that Vivendi intervened in key editorial, staffing, and programming decisions at Lagardère’s flagship outlets, including Paris Match, Journal du Dimanche, and Europe 1 radio, despite not yet having full legal control.
In a statement, Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera said: “Ensuring that companies respect the ex-ante nature of the EU merger control regime is central to preserving effective competition. Any potential breach of these rules is a serious matter.”
Vivendi now has the opportunity to respond to the allegations. If found in violation, the company could face fines of up to 10% of its global turnover.
More information is available in the Commission’s public case register under case number M.11184.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1867
