CELEX: 32016M7786
Language: en
Date: 2016-06-03 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 03/06/2016 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.7786 - VISA INC / VISA EUROPE) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

                                        Brussels, 3.6.2016
                                        C(2016) 3558 final

                                        [pic]

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|                                                                       |To the notifying party                                                 |

Subject:    Case M.7786 - VISA INC / VISA EUROPE
         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 10 May 2016, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation  by
    which by which Visa Inc (USA) acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the  Merger Regulation control of the whole of  Visa  Europe
    Limited (“Visa Europe”, England and Wales) by way of purchase of shares.[3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

      -     Visa Inc. operates a payment system under the VISA trademark and various ancillary services worldwide with the exception of  the  so-
           called “VE-Territory”;

      -     Visa Europe operates a payment system under the VISA trademark in the VE  Territory,  which  includes  all  the  EEA  Member  States,
           Switzerland, Turkey, Israel and some other neighbouring jurisdictions.

 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 180, 19.05.2016, p. 4.

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

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                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE