CELEX: 32016M7879
Language: en
Date: 2016-01-08 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 08/01/2016 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.7879 - SAUDI ARAMCO / LANXESS / JV) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

Brussels, 08.01.2016
C(2016)102 final

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|To the notifying parties:                                              |                                                                       |

Dear Sirs,

Subject:    Case M.7879 - SAUDI ARAMCO / LANXESS / 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 04 December 2015, the European Commission received notification of  a  proposed  concentration  pursuant  to  Article  4  of  the  Merger
    Regulation by which the undertakings Aramco Overseas Company, B.V. (“AOC”, the Netherlands), a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabian  Oil
    Company (“Saudi Aramco”, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and Lanxess Deutschland GmbH  (“Lanxess”,  Germany)  acquire  within  the  meaning  of
    Articles 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation control of a newly established joint venture company (“JV”) by way of  purchase of shares
    and transfer of assets.[3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

      -     Saudi Aramco is engaged in the exploration, production and marketing of crude oil  and  refined  products.  It  also  has  supporting
           activities in marine transportation;

      -     AOC provides Saudi Aramco with support services and it is active within the purchasing  and  logistics  market  and  the  inspection,
           engineering, research and technology, IT, finance, legal, public relations, HR, international staffing and executive services;

      -     Laxness is a specialty chemicals company operating on a global basis. Its core business comprises the  development,  manufacture  and
           sale of plastics, rubber, specialty chemicals and intermediates.

 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
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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 415, 15.12.2015, p. 40.

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

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                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE