CELEX: 32015M7729
Language: en
Date: 2015-11-06 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 06/11/2015 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.7729 - WILLIS GROUP / TOWERS WATSON & CO) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

                                        Brussels, 6.11.2015
                                        C(2015) 7830 final

                                        [pic]

|To the notifying party:                                                |                                                                       |
|                                                                       |                                                                       |

Dear Sirs,

Subject:    Case M.7729 - WILLIS GROUP/ TOWERS WATSON & CO
         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 13 October 2015, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation
    by which Willis Group Holdings plc ("Willis", Ireland), acquires within the meaning of Article  3(1)(b)  of  the  Merger  Regulation,   sole
    control of the whole of Towers Watson & Co. (”Towers Watson", USA).[3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

  – Willis: global provider of insurance brokerage and risk management consulting;
  – Towers Watson: global provider of consulting, technology and solutions in benefits,  talent  management  and  rewards,  risk  and  financial
    services, and exchange solutions.

 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 348, 21.10.2015, p. 8.

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

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                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE