CELEX: 32021M10441
Language: en
Date: 2021-09-30 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 30/09/2021 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.10441 - BRIDGEPOINT / FFL / ACT) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
                                                                 Brussels, 30.9.2021
                                                                 C(2021) 7258 final
                                                                                 PUBLIC VERSION
                                                                 Bridgepoint Group Holdings Limited
                                                                 95 Wigmore Street
                                                                 W1U 1FB
                                                                 London
                                                                 United Kingdom
                                                                 FFL B.V.
                                                                 Strawinskylaan 3127
                                                                 1077 ZX Amsterdam
                                                                 The Netherlands
Subject:        Case M.10441 — Bridgepoint/FFL/ACT
                Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation
                (EC) No 139/20041 and Article 57 of the Agreement on the European
                Economic Area2
Dear Sir or Madam,
1.      On 6 September 2021, the European Commission received notification of a proposed
        concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which the
        undertakings Bridgepoint Group plc, (“Bridgepoint”, UK) and FFL B.V. (“FFL”, The
        Netherlands) acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger
        Regulation joint control, by way of purchase of shares, over the undertakings
        Sustainable Market Solutions B.V and ACT Financial Solutions Group, and their
        subsdiaries (together “ACT”, The Netherlands) which are currently controlled by
        ACT’s founders and current majority shareholders.3
2.      The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:
       for Bridgepoint: investment group focused on investing in middle market private
          assets, with six distinct investment strategies across private equity and private credit
          and a platform across Europe, North America and Asia,
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 370, 15.09.2021, p. 6.
Commission européenne, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Bruxelles, BELGIQUE
Europese Commissie, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Brussel, BELGIË
Tel: +32 229-91111. Fax: +32 229-64301. E-mail: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu.
 ---pagebreak---     for FFL: holding company incorporated by the two founders of ACT and current
      majority owners (B. Bastiaansen and J. Janssen) in the context of this transaction for
      the sole purpose of exercising their rights in ACT,
    for ACT: provider of market based sustainable energy solutions, relating to
      environmental compliance services, corporate sustainability, fuels and feedstock,
      and financial instruments.
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)
                                                      Olivier GUERSENT
                                                      Director-General
4   OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.
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