On one occasion I had an hour or so of a most intellectual conversation with a person whom I could not see distinctly, a gentleman from England, he said, with a cultivated voice, I on deck and he on the quay sitting
on the case of a piano (landed out of our hold that very afternoon), and smoking a cigar which smelt very good.
E.On has strenuously denied the allegations, is seeking its own expert evidence, and has requested an oral hearing
on the case which, it is thought, will take place within weeks.
A hearing
on the case will begin on January 29, but a ruling is not expected before RAG's Degussa bid expires on January 31.
The Commission based its argument on the so-called two-thirds rule, whereby if 66.6% of the overall European business of the parties who are merging are in a single Member State, it is up to the national authorities to rule
on the case.Mr Turmes stresses that E.ON's actual turnover outside Germany was equal to more than 40% of total.