Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11549 – EFMS / PERMIRA / UNIVERSIDAD EUROPEA) – Candidate case for simplified procedure
Date: 2024-06-12
Institutions: Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission
Subjects: Portugal, Spain, economic concentration, investment company, merger control, postgraduate education, private education, provision of services, university








C_202403713EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2024/3713


12.6.2024






Prior notification of a concentration
(Case M.11549 – EFMS / PERMIRA / UNIVERSIDAD EUROPEA)
Candidate case for simplified procedure
(Text with EEA relevance)
(C/2024/3713)


1.   
On 4 June 2024, 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:






—


EQT Fund Management S.à.t.l (‘EFMS’, Luxembourg), controlled by EQT AB (pub) (‘EQT AB’, Sweden),










—


Permira Holdings Limited (‘Permira’, Guernsey),










—


Proyectos Educativos Europa, S.L. (‘Universidad Europea’, Spain), currently solely controlled by Permira.




EFMS and Permira will acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control of Universidad Europea.
The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.


2.   
The business activities of the undertakings concerned are the following:






—


EFMS acts as fund manager of a certain EQT fund that controls and invests in infrastructure businesses primarily in Europe and North America,










—


Permira is a private equity business engaged, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, in the provision of investment management services to investment funds. Permira controls a number of portfolio companies which are active globally across the consumer, services, healthcare and technology sectors.






3.   

The business activities of Universidad Europea are the following: a private university active primarly in Spain and Portugal, only, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as career programs and post graduate programs, in person and online.



4.   
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 treatment for certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.


5.   
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.11549 – EFMS / PERMIRA / UNIVERSIDAD EUROPEA
Observations can be sent to the Commission by email or by post. Please use the contact details below:
Email: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu

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 160, 5.5.2023, p. 1.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/3713/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)