CELEX: 32015M7422
Language: en
Date: 2015-04-09 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 09/04/2015 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.7422 - RIVERSTONE / BARCLAYS / ORIGO) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

                                        Brussels, 9.4.2015
                                        C(2015) 2458 final

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                                        To the notifying parties

Dear Sirs,

Subject:    Case M.7422 - RIVERSTONE / BARCLAYS / ORIGO
         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 6 March 2015, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by
    which Riverstone Holdings LLC (“Riverstone”, UK) and Barclays Bank plc (“Barclays”, UK) will acquire within the meaning of  Article  3(1)(b)
    and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control by way of purchase of shares in a newly created company constituting a joint  venture  Origo
    Exploration AS (“Origo”, Norway). [3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

      -     Riverstone: private equity firm focused on investments in the energy and power sectors.

      -     Barclays: global financial services provider engaged in personal banking, credit cards, corporate and investment banking  and  wealth
           and investment management services.

      -     Origo: newly-established company, which will be engaged in oil and gas exploration and production activities  on  the  Norwegian  and
           United Kingdom continental shelves.

 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)
                                        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 086, 13.03.2015, p. 15.

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

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                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE