CELEX: 32015M7557
Language: en
Date: 2015-03-23 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 23/03/2015 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.7557 - APAX PARTNERS / AZELIS) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

                                        Brussels, 23.3.2015
                                        C(2015) 2109 final

                                        [pic][pic]

|To the notifying party:                                                |                                                                       |
|                                                                       |                                                                       |

Dear Madam(s) and/or Sir(s),

Subject:    Case M.7557 - APAX PARTNERS / AZELIS
         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 26.02.2015, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger  Regulation  by
    which the undertaking Apax Partners LLP ("AP", UK) acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation  control  of  the
    whole of Azelis S.A. ("Azelis", Luxembourg) by way of purchase of shares.[3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

  – for AP: investment advisory services in relation to private equity funds investing in a range of industry sectors;

  – for Azelis: speciality and commodity chemicals distribution.

 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
                                        Alexander ITALIANER
                                        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 078, 06.03.2015, p. 7.

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

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                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE