The European Commission has unconditionally approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition by Google of Wiz. The Commission concluded that the transaction would raise no competition concerns in the European Economic Area (‘EEA’).

Google offers cloud infrastructure through Google Cloud Platform. Google also offers cloud security services to its cloud users and, to a limited extent, to users of other cloud infrastructure providers. Wiz offers a so-called cloud-native application protection platform. The platform provides cloud customers, such as large European businesses, with a single security platform to protect their applications against cybersecurity threats across different cloud environments. Civil society organisations across Europe seriously regret the European Commission’s decision to unconditionally clear Google’s proposed acquisition of Wiz. The decision runs counter to lessons drawn from past under-enforcement in the digital sector, the Commission’s stated objectives of strict application of competition rules to Big Tech and the growing systemic risks arising from cloud concentration.

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Commission approves Google’s acquisition of Wiz