Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10538 – VINCI / LINEAS / LUSOPONTE) Candidate case for simplified procedure (Text with EEA relevance) 2021/C 509/11
Date: 2021-12-17
Institutions: Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission
Subjects: Lisbon and the Tagus Valley, Portugal, bridge, economic concentration, investment company, merger control, motorway, service concession, toll








C_2021509EN.01001801.xml










17.12.2021   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 509/18






Prior notification of a concentration
(Case M.10538 – VINCI / LINEAS / LUSOPONTE)
Candidate case for simplified procedure
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2021/C 509/11)

1.   
On 9 December 2021, 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:






—


VINCI Highways S.A.S (‘VINCI’, France), belonging to the VINCI Group (France),










—


LINEAS – CONCESSÕES DE TRANSPORTES, SGPS, S.A. (‘LINEAS’, Portugal), controlled by Mota-Engil SGPS, S.A. (Portugal) and GNB – Concessões SGPS, S.A. (Portugal),










—


Lusoponte – Concessionária para a Travessia do Tejo S.A (‘Lusoponte’, Portugal).




VINCI and LINEAS acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of the whole of Lusoponte.
The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.


2.   
The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:






—


for VINCI: mainly active in the motorways concessions sector. It belongs to VINCI Group, a diversified group mainly active in France and several other countries, both within and outside the European Union, in the fields of concessions and infrastructures (mainly airports and motorways), building, public works and civil engineering, electrical engineering, air-conditioned engineering, mechanical engineering and road works,










—


for LINEAS: manages shareholdings in companies operating exclusively in the public and private road concessions sector as well as in companies that participate in public and private procurements for road, railway and airport concessions. LINEAS is active in Portugal, Spain and Brazil,










—


for Lusoponte: it holds the concession for the project design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance under a toll system of the Vasco da Gama Bridge and the 25 de Abril Bridge over the Tagus River in Lisbon, which will expire in March 2030.






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 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.10538 – VINCI / LINEAS / LUSOPONTE
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.