In EU merger control, the European Commission is empowered by Council Regulation (EC) No. 139/2004 to regulate changes in market structure by deciding whether two or more firms may merge, combine, or consolidate their businesses into one. These decisions affect various market players, including major EU and non-EU businesses, as well as vast product and geographic markets. Offering a network perspective on the cleared merger and acquisition transactions in Phase I decisions under Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No. 139/2004 (20 January 2004–01 July 2015), this article aims to investigate the overall composition of mergers and acquisitions in terms of their industry sectors and domiciles and to identify the types of firms that acquire more targets than other firms (that is, more expansive firms). The analysis is conducted by using data from the European Commission (601 transactions) and Bureau van Dijk (992 transactions).

中文翻译：

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欧盟委员会根据理事会第 139/2004 号条例对并购进行控制：绘制 2004-2015 年并购交易中最广泛的收购方

在欧盟合并控制中，欧盟委员会根据理事会条例 (EC) 第 139/2004 号授权，通过决定两家或更多公司是否可以合并、合并或合并其业务来规范市场结构的变化。这些决定影响各种市场参与者，包括主要的欧盟和非欧盟企业，以及广阔的产品和地域市场。根据理事会条例 (EC) 第 139/2004 号（2004 年 1 月 20 日至 2015 年 7 月 1 日）第 6(1)(b) 条第 I 阶段决定中的已清算并购交易提供网络视角，本文旨在调查合并和收购的整体构成，就其行业部门和住所而言，并确定比其他公司收购更多目标的公司类型（即，更具扩张性的公司）。