The General Court of the European Union confirmed today the prohibition by the European Commission regarding the acquisition of the eTraveli group by the accommodation booking website Booking. The court thus rejected the appeal filed by Booking against the previous decision.
The European Commission had blocked this operation considering that the acquisition could harm competition in the online accommodation booking market in the EU. The European executive body identified concerns related to the dominance that Booking could obtain in this sector.
The General Court, which is the EU's first-instance court, validated the arguments presented by the Commission, considering that the prohibition was justified. This decision represents a significant defeat for Booking, which intended to expand its operations through this acquisition.
eTraveli is a Finnish company specialized in travel bookings, including flights and accommodation. The operation had been announced as a way for Booking to reinforce its offering in the air travel segment, beyond its main business of hotel bookings.
