CELEX: 32015M7517
Language: en
Date: 2015-04-09 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 09/04/2015 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.7517 - HEBEI IRON & STEEL GROUP / DPH / DUFERCO INTERNATIONAL TRADING HOLDING) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

                                        Brussels, 9.4.2015
                                        C(2015)2447

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|                                                                       |To the notifying parties:                                              |

Dear Madam(s) and/or Sir(s),

Subject:    Case M.7517-HEBEI IRON & STEEL GROUP/ DPH/ DUFERCO INTERNATIONAL TRADING HOLDING
         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 3 [February]* 2015, the European Commission received notification of a proposed  concentration  pursuant  to  Article  4  of  the  Merger
    Regulation by which the undertaking Hebei Iron & Steel Group ('HBIS', China) and Duferco  Participations  Holding  S.A  ('DPH',  Luxembourg)
    acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the  Merger Regulation joint control  of  the  undertaking  Duferco  International  Holding
    ('DITH' Luxembourg) by way of purchase of shares. DITH is currently controlled by DPH.[3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

        – for Hebei Iron&Steel Group (HBIS): production and sale of iron and steel goods;

        – for Duferco Participations Holding S.A (DPH): holding company owning  activities including the steel sector;

    The business activities of Duferco International Holding (DITH) are:  trading and non-stockholding distribution of steel goods.

 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)
                                        Alexander ITALIANER
                                        Director-General

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[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").

*     Corrigendum: should read "March".

[3]   Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 083, 11.03.2015, p. 15.

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

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                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE