BRATISLAVA (SITA) - The Antitrust Bureau of the Slovak Republic will certainly analyze the situation that emerged after the state privatization agency, the FNM sold the largest newspaper distributor PNS to printing house and news publisher Danubiaprint, a.s.. A condition to start investigation is that market concentration has actually taken place, i.e. a sales contract has been signed. The Antitrust Bureau will examine the position of the company on the relevant press, publisher, and distribution market in the Slovak Republic. The aggregate annual turnover of the companies greatly exceeds the legally defined limit of 300 million SKK. According to the law on the protection of economic competition, a company must announce economic concentration within 15 days after signing a sales contract or another form of takeover. At the same time, the company must provide detailed information about the business activities in both previously independent companies. The Antitrust Bureau may decide not to approve a merger if it results in strengthening of a dominant position on the market, or when the involved company cannot prove that the negative effects on economic competition are counterbalanced by general benefits from this economic concentration. On February 24, the FNM decided to sell 97 percent of PNS, the largest distributor of periodic press in Slovakia. The buyer is the printing house and publisher Danubiaprint whose owners are considered close to the governing coalition. The sales price is 4 10 million SKK.