Brief The European Commission has approved HP's proposed takeover of Synstar, the UK-owned computer maintenance-to-disaster recovery group.

The transaction will not significantly alter HP's share of the IT services market, the EC ruled (http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/04/1093&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en), noting the "significant number of global viable competitors as well as the large number of local or regional competitors that remain in the European market".

HP made a $300m cash offer for Synstar on 9 August. It gains 1,500 corporate customers throughout Western Europe and offices in in Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. ®

Related story

HP offers $300m for UK's Synstar (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/09/hp_buy_synstar/)
IT services: don't forget the little guys (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/05/21/it_services_dont_forget/)
9/11 fails to influence disaster recovery strategies survey (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/08/20/9_11_fails_to_influence/)
Computacenter 'preps £250m Synstar bid' (http://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/09/30/computacenter_preps_250m_synstar_bid/)