| The commission responded by drawing up guidelines for appraising horizontal mergers. |
| Historically speaking, it is horizontal mergers that have attracted the most scrutiny from the federal government. |
| As a result, the main potential source of anti-competitive effects in horizontal mergers is absent from vertical and conglomerate mergers. |
| Non-horizontal mergers are generally less likely to significantly impede effective competition than horizontal mergers. |
| The latter are thus generally less likely to create competition concerns than horizontal mergers. |
| These include horizontal mergers of acute hospitals, mental health trusts, and community health services trusts. |
