European Commission begins an in-depth investigation of mining acquisition

Today, the European Commission announced the opening of a detailed investigation into BHP Billiton's proposed acquisition of Rio Tinto.  BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto mine a range of commodities including iron ore, coal, uranium, aluminium and mineral sands.  The Commission's investigation is likely to focus on the supply of iron ore and coal, where the merged entity would control a significant share of supply.
 
Frontier (Europe) advises a number of Japanese steel mills who buy significant quantities of iron ore and coal from the parties.