(BRUSSELS) - The European Commission on Wednesday approved Taiwanese computer vendor Acer's takeover of Netherlands-based computer maker Packard Bell.

"The commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition," Europe's top regulatory watchdog said after reviewing the deal for antitrust problems.

Acer said in September that it intended to snap up Packard Bell through US group Gateway, which it was in the process of taking over and has since merged with one of its subsidiaries.

"The commission's examination showed that the proposed merger would entail horizontal overlaps for desktops and laptops, both for professionals and consumers," it said.

"However, the market would remain competitive post-merger in all segments of the PC sector with established alternative suppliers such as Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens, Toshiba, Sony and Lenovo," it added.

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