CELEX: 32015M7795
Language: en
Date: 2015-12-18 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 18/12/2015 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.7795 - RATOS / VARMA / REAL ESTATE JV) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

Brussels, 18.12.2015
C(2015) 9715 final

      [pic]

[pic]

                                        To the notifying parties:

Dear Sirs,

Subject:    Case M.7795 – RATOS / VARMA / REAL ESTATE JV
Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004[1] and  Article  57  of  the  Agreement  on  the  European
Economic Area[2]

 1. On 23 November 2015, the European Commission received notification of  a  proposed  concentration  pursuant  to  Article  4  of  the  Merger
    Regulation by which Ratos AB ("Ratos" of Sweden) and Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company ("Varma" of Finand), acquire within the  meaning
    of Article 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation indirect joint control of a real estate property portfolio by way of purchase of shares
    in a newly created company constituting a joint venture.

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

      – Ratos is a private equity conglomerate active in a number of sectors.

      – Varma is a Finnish mutual pension insurance company owned by its client  companies  and  self-employed  persons,  insured  employees  and
        owners of the guarantee capital.

      – The real estate portfolio comprises 22 retail properties located in 14 municipalities in Finland. [3]

 3. After examination of the notification, the European Commission has concluded that the notified operation  falls  within  the  scope  of  the
    Merger Regulation and of paragraph 5 (c) of the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of  certain  concentrations  under
    Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004.[4]

 4. For the reasons set out in the Notice on a simplified procedure, the European Commission has decided not to oppose  the  notified  operation
    and to declare it compatible with the internal market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b)
    of the Merger Regulation and Article 57 of the EEA Agreement.

For the Commission

(Signed)
Johannes LAITENBERGER
Director-General
-----------------------
[1]   OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the "Merger Regulation"). With effect from 1 December 2009, the Treaty on the Functioning of the  European  Union
    ("TFEU") has introduced certain changes, such as the replacement of "Community" by "Union" and "common market"  by  "internal  market".  The
    terminology of the TFEU will be used throughout this decision.

[2]   OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p. 3 ("the EEA Agreement").

[3]   Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 399, 01.12.2015, p. 3.

[4]   OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

-----------------------

                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE