Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.8968 — H.I.G. Capital/INEOS (Baleycourt business and ICT business)) — Candidate case for simplified procedure (Text with EEA relevance.)
Date: 2018-06-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: chemical industry, economic concentration, investment company, merger control, petrochemicals








C_2018220EN.01000901.xml










25.6.2018   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 220/9





Prior notification of a concentration
(Case M.8968 — H.I.G. Capital/INEOS (Baleycourt business and ICT business))
Candidate case for simplified procedure
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2018/C 220/05)

1.   
On 18 June 2018, the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1).
This notification concerns the following undertakings:






—


H.I.G. Capital LLC (‘H.I.G. Capital’, United States),










—


Valtris Specialty Chemicals Limited (‘Valtris’, United Kingdom),










—


INEOS Enterprises France SAS (France), INEOS Champlor SAS (France) and certain assets held within INEOS Enterprises Group Limited (IEGL) (together ‘the Baleycourt business’), and










—


INEOS ChloroToluenes Limited (‘the ICT business’, United Kingdom).




H.I.G. Capital acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation control of the whole of the Baleycourt business and the ICT business.


2.   
The business activities of the undertakings concerned are as follows:






—


H.I.G. Capital is a global private equity and alternative asset investment firm. It is active, through its portfolio company Valtris, in the production and supply of specialty chemicals, primarily polymer additives,










—


the Baleycourt business is active in the production and supply of biodiesel and edible oils and their by-products, and esters, a type of plasticiser,










—


the ICT business is active in the production and supply of chlorinated toluene derivatives and related chemical intermediates.






3.   
On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved.
Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under the Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.


4.   
The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission.
Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. The following reference should always be specified:
M.8968 — H.I.G. Capital/INEOS (Baleycourt business and ICT business)
Observations can be sent to the Commission by email, by fax, or by post. Please use the contact details below:





Email: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu




Fax +32 22964301




Postal address:




European Commission




Directorate-General for Competition




Merger Registry




1049 Bruxelles/Brussel




BELGIQUE/BELGIË







(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’).

(2)  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.