CELEX: 32015M7761
Language: en
Date: 2015-09-30 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 30/09/2015 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.7761 - PERMIRA / OTPP / GFKL GROUP / LOWELL GROUP) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

                                        Brussels, 30.9.2015
                                        C(2015) 6814 final

                                        [pic][pic]

|To the notifying parties:                                              |                                                                       |
|                                                                       |                                                                       |

Dear Sirs,

Subject:    Case M.7761 - PERMIRA/ OTPP/ GFKL GROUP/ LOWELL GROUP
         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 4.09.2015, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the  Merger  Regulation  by
    which Permira Holdings Limited ("Permira", Guernsey), via its subsidiary Garfunkelux S.à.r.l, and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension  Plan  Board
    ("OTPP", Canada) acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation, joint control of Metis Bidco Limited and its wholly-
    owned subsidiaries (together the "Lowell Group", UK) and of Garfunkelux Holdco 1 S.à.r.l. and its wholly-owned  subsidiaries  (together  the
    "GFKL Group", Germany).[3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

      - Permira: a private equity firm active in a variety of sectors that have potential for growth and development, globally;

      - OTPP: a corporation without share capital responsible for the administration of pension benefits and  the  investments  of  pension  fund
       assets on behalf of teachers in Canada;

      - GFKL Group: a provider of consumer debt recovery services operating in Germany;

      - Lowell Group: a provider of consumer debt recovery services operating in the UK.

 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(b) 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

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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").

[3]   Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 303, 15.09.2015, p. 7.

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

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                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE