Oracle has won unconditional EU regulatory approval for its $7 billion acquisition of computer maker Sun Microsystems.
“I am now satisfied that competition and innovation will be preserved on all the markets concerned,” says EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
“Oracle’s acquisition of Sun has the potential to revitalise important assets and create new and innovative products,” she adds.
Oracle received the green light from the US Department of Justice in August last year, but has been made to sweat by the EU body, which expressed concerns that the deal could dent competition in the database market.
The EC launched an investigation in September, citing concerns about the competition impact on Sun’s MySQL database. The investigation has put Oracle months behind its original plan for closing the deal.
It has also allowed rivals including IBM and HP time to poach hardware customers from Sun, using the uncertain future of the company as leverage.
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