For the purposes of the right to be heard pursuant to Article 18 of Regulation (EC) No 139/2004, the following parties are distinguished:
notifying parties, that is, persons or undertakings submitting a notification pursuant to Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 139/2004;
other involved parties, that is, parties to the proposed concentration other than the notifying parties, such as the seller and the undertaking which is the target of the concentration;
third persons, that is natural or legal persons, including customers, suppliers and competitors, provided they demonstrate a sufficient interest within the meaning of Article 18(4), second sentence, of Regulation (EC) No 139/2004, which is the case in particular:
for members of the administrative or management bodies of the undertakings concerned or the recognised representatives of their employees;
for consumer associations, where the proposed concentration concerns products or services used by final consumers.
parties regarding whom the Commission intends to take a decision pursuant to Article 14 or Article 15 of Regulation (EC) No 139/2004.