How about some tangible evidence to back up what would seem at first glance an informed post.
The CAA Air Traffic Services and Competition Law Policy Document published in April 2006 would be a good place to start. You can find it on their website if you care to look.
But please spare us any nebulous comments like "possibility of infringing European competition law"
Originally it wasn't a possibility it was considered fact. It's now become a "possibility" because of the CAA's latest legal advice that NATS may not be an "undertaking" and therefore the legislation might not apply. We'll only know for sure if the lawyers get to argue it out in court all the way to the top and that isn't in anybody's interest because the end game there might be a forced split of NSL and NERL.
Yes it was (Paul Baron)
Sorry it wasn't. NERL and NSL came into being in 2001, Paul Barron arrived in 2004. He did split the two Chief Executive roles but they were already two different companies.