EN

Case No COMP/M.3190 - BARCLAYS BANK / BANCO ZARAGOZANO

Only the English text is available and authentic.

REGULATION (EEC) No 4064/89 MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION Date: 12/06/2003

Also available in the CELEX database Document No 303M3190

Office for Official Publications of the European Communities L-2985 Luxembourg

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 12/06/2003

SG (2003) D/230127

MERGER PROCEDURE ARTICLE 6(1)(b) DECISION

SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURE

PUBLIC VERSION

A la partie notifiante:

via:

Dear Sir,

Notification of 12 May 2003 pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 14064/89 Publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities No. C 117 of 17.05.2003, page 3.

1.1. On 12.05.2003, the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 4064/89 by which the undertaking Barclays Bank S.A. ("Barclays", Spain), belonging to the Barclays Group, acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Council Regulation control of the whole of Banco Zaragozano ("Zaragozano", Spain) by way of public bid announced on 8.5.2003.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are :

-- for Barclays: mainly active in retail and corporate banking

-- for Barclays Group: retail and corporate banking, life insurance and pensions, fund management, investment banking and credit cards

-- for Zaragozano: mainly active in retail and corporate banking

1OJ L 395, 30.12.1989 p. 1; corrected version OJ L 257 of 21.9.1990, p. 13, as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1310/97, OJ L 180, 9.7.1997, p. 1, corrigendum in OJ L 40, 13.2.1998, p. 17.

Commission europÈenne, B-1049 Bruxelles / Europese Commissie, B-1049 Brussel - Belgium. Telephone: (32-2) 299 11 11.

2.2. After examination of the notification, the Commission has concluded that the notified operation falls within the scope of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 4064/89 and of paragraph 4, subparagraph c, of the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EEC) No 4064/89.

3.3. For the reasons set out in the Notice on a simplified procedure, the Commission has decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it compatible with the common market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 4064/89.

For the Commission,

(Signed)

Mario MONTI Member of the Commission

2OJ C 217, 29.07.2000, p. 32.

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