CELEX: 32019M9333
Language: en
Date: 2019-05-15 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 15/05/2019 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.9333 - Hellman & Friedman LLC / Blackstone Group L.P. / Scout24 AG) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
                                                                Brussels,15.5.2019
                                                                C(2019) 3814 final
                                                                                      PUBLIC VERSION
                                                                To the notifying parties
Subject:        Case M.9333 H&F / BLACKSTONE / SCOUT24
                Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC)
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                No 139/2004 and Article 57 of the Agreement on the European Economic Area
Dear Sir or Madam,
1.      On 15 April 2019, the European Commission received notification of a proposed
        concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which Hellman &
        Friedman LLC (“H&F”, 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 the whole of Scout24 AG (“Scout24”, Germany), by way of public bid
        announced on 15 February 2019.3
2.      The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:
             − for H&F: private equity firm, controlling a portfolio of companies in various
                 sectors;
             − for Blackstone: investment management firm, controlling a portfolio of companies
                 in various sectors;
             − for Scout24: online classified advertising portal specializing in the real estate and
                 automotive sectors.
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
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 144, 25.04.2019, p 2.
4       OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.
Commission européenne, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Bruxelles, BELGIQUE
Europese Commissie, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Brussel, BELGIË
Tel: +32 229-91111. Fax: +32 229-64301. E-mail: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu.
 ---pagebreak--- 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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