EN

Case No COMP/M.7127 - CARLYLE/ MDP/ CHESAPEAKE/ MPS

Only the English text is available and authentic.

REGULATION (EC) No 139/2004 MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION Date: 04/02/2014

In electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32014M7127

Office for Publications of the European Union L-2985 Luxembourg

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 4.2.2014 C(2014) 735 final

PUBLIC VERSION

SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE

To the notifying parties

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

Subject: Case COMP/M.7127 - CARLYLE/ MDP/ CHESAPEAKE/ MPS Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004

1.On 8 January 2014, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which the Carlyle Group ("Carlyle", United States) and Madison Dearborn Partners LLC ("MDP", United States) acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of Chesapeake Service Ltd. and its subsidiaries ("Chesapeake", United Kingdom), currently solely controlled by Carlyle, and Multi Packaging Solutions Inc. and its subsidiaries ("MPS", United States), currently solely controlled by MDP, through a joint holding structure.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

-− for Carlyle: global alternative asset manager,

-- for MDP: private equity investments and funding,

-- for Chesapeake: manufacturing and sale of secondary paper-based packaging solutions,

-- for MPS: manufacturing and sale of packaging solutions, in particular secondary paper-based packaging and plastic packaging solutions.

1OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 ("the Merger Regulation").

2Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 10, 14.1.2014, p. 7.

Commission européenne, 1049 Bruxelles, BELGIQUE / Europese Commissie, 1049 Brussel - BELGIË. Telephone: (32-2) 299 11 11.

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.

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.

For the Commission (signed) Alexander ITALIANER Director-General

3OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

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