CELEX: 32015M7788
Language: en
Date: 2015-10-23 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 23/10/2015 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.7788 - ARDIAN / ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE / GEOSEL) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

                                        Brussels, 23.10.2015
                                        C(2015) 7420 final

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|To the notifying parties:                                              |

Dear Sirs,

Subject:    Case M.7788– ARDIAN/ ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE/ GEOSEL
         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 22.09.2015, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger  Regulation  by
    which the undertakings Ardian France S.A.S. ('Ardian', France) and Electricité de France S.A. ('EDF', France) indirectly acquire within  the
    meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of the undertaking Géosel Manosque S.A.S. ('Géosel', France) by way  of  a
    purchase of shares.[3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

      -     for Ardian : the global provision of private equity and asset management activities in relation to, amongst others,  the  healthcare,
           infrastructure, energy, consumer goods and new technologies sectors.

       -    for EDF : the generation and wholesale supply of electricity, the transmission, distribution and retail supply  of  electricity,  the
           provision of other electricity-related services as well as the wholesale and retail sale of natural gas.

      -     for Géosel : the underground storage and transportation of hydrocarbons in France.

 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 323, 01.10.2015, p. 6.
[4]   OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

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                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE