CELEX: 32016M8157
Language: en
Date: 2016-08-24 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 24/08/2016 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.8157 - MCKESSON / BLACKSTONE / JV) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

                                        Brussels, 24/08/16
                                        C(2016) 5540

                                        [pic]

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                                         To the notifying parties:

Dear Sirs,

Subject:    Case M.8157– MCKESSON / BLACKSTONE / 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 27 July 2016, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by
    which the undertakings McKesson Corporation ("McKesson", United States) and The Blackstone Group L.P.  ("Blackstone", United States) acquire
    within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of a newly-created joint venture (the "JV", United States),  by
    way of contribution to the JV of assets and shares.[3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

      – McKesson: provider of services and products for the healthcare industry,

      – Blackstone: global alternative asset manager and provider of financial advisory services,

  – The JV will provide healthcare information technology services, software and analytics, network solutions and technology-enabled services.

 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(a) 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 282, 04.08.2016, p. 11.
[4]   OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

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                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE