Disclaimer :

The Competition DG makes the information provided by the notifying parties in section 1.2 of Form CO available to the public in order to increase transparency. This information has been prepared by the notifying parties under their sole responsibility, and its content in no way prejudges the view the Commission may take of the planned operation. Nor can the Commission be held responsible for any incorrect or misleading information contained therein.

SECTION 1.2

Description of the concentration

On October 29, 2008, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the EC Merger Regulation, by which BNP Paribas S.A. (ìBNP Paribasî) will acquire sole control of Fortis Bank S.A./N.V., Fortis Bank Luxembourg S.A. and Fortis Insurance Belgium S.A./N.V. (together ìFortis Entitiesî).

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

1. For BNP Paribas: banking and insurance activities;

2. For Fortis Entities: banking and insurance activities.

BNP Paribas mainly operates in France and Italy, while Fortis Entities mainly operate in Belgium and Luxemburg.

The partiesí activities only overlap to any significant extent in four markets: the markets for leasing in Belgium and France as well as the markets for mortgages and life insurance in Belgium.