Prior notification of a concentration (Case COMP/M.3365 — Vidacaixa/Santander Central Hispano Previsión) (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2004-02-14
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: economic concentration, insurance company, merger control, restrictive-practice authorisation

14.2.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 40/3

— in the case of goods originating in the Community, boxes 2

and/or 4 include the mention of:

— only the Community (1), or

— both a Member State and the Community (1),

— the optional boxes 3, 6, 7 and 10 are not filled,

(1) Any other term referring unequivocally to the Community may also
be used such as, inter alia, the European Community, the European
Union or an abbreviated form like for example EC, EU, etc.

— the unit measure used in box 9 does not correspond to the
unit measure indicated in the corresponding invoice (for
example: kilos in the movement certificate EUR.1 and
square meters in the invoice),

— there is no information on the export document, as referred
to in box 11, where the regulations of
the exporting
country or territory do not require the inclusion of such
information,

— the date of issue of the movement certificate EUR.1 does
not appear on the prescribed line of box 11, but it is
however clearly indicated in that box (for example as part
of the official stamp used by the competent authorities to
endorse the certificate).

Prior notification of a concentration

(Case COMP/M.3365 — Vidacaixa/Santander Central Hispano Previsión)

(2004/C 40/03)

(Text with EEA relevance)

1.
On 9 February 2004 the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant
to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 4064/89 (1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No
1310/97 (2), by which the Spanish undertaking Vidacaixa, Sociedad Anónima de Seguros y Reaseguros
(‘Vidacaixa’), belonging to Grupo Caifor (Spain) and ultimately controlled by Grupo La Caixa (Spain) and
Fortis Group (Belgium and The Netherlands), acquires, within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the
Regulation, control of the whole of the Spain-based undertaking Santander Central Hispano Previsión,
Sociedad Anónima de Seguros y Reaseguros (‘SCH Previsión’), belonging to Banco Santander Central
Hispano, SA (Spain), by way of purchase of shares.

2.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

— Vidacaixa: insurance activities,

— SCH Previsión: insurance activities.

On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified concentration could fall within

3.
the scope of Regulation (EEC) No 4064/89. However, the final decision on this point is reserved.

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit

4.
proposed operation.

their possible observations on the

Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication.
Observations can be sent by fax (No (32-2) 296 43 01 or 296 72 44) or by post, under reference
COMP/M.3365 — Vidacaixa/Santander Central Hispano Previsión, to:

European Commission,
Directorate-General for Competition,
Merger Registry,
J-70,
B-1049 Brussels.

(1) OJ L 395, 30.12.1989, p. 1; corrigendum: OJ L 257, 21.9.1990, p. 13.
(2) OJ L 180, 9.7.1997, p. 1; corrigendum: OJ L 40, 13.2.1998, p. 17.