Case No COMP/M.7513 - AR PACKAGING GROUP / MWV EUROPEAN TOBACCO AND GENERAL PACKAGING FOLDING CARTON OPERATIONS

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REGULATION (EC) No 139/2004 MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION Date: 31/03/2015

Office for Publications of the European Union L-2985 Luxembourg

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 31.3.2015 C(2015) 2330 final

PUBLIC VERSION

SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE

To the notifying party:

Subject: Case M.7513 – AR PACKAGING GROUP/ MWV EUROPEAN TOBACCO AND GENERAL PACKAGING FOLDING CARTON OPERATIONS Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 and Article 57 of the Agreement on the European Economic Area

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

1.1. On 06.03.2015, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 and following a referral pursuant to Article 4(5) of the Merger Regulation by which AR Packaging Group AB ("AR Packaging", Sweden) acquires sole control over MeadWestvaco Corporation ("MWV") European Tobacco and General Packaging Folding Carton Operations ("the Target", Austria, Poland, Czech Republic and Russia) by way of purchase of shares.

2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

--for AR Packaging: production and supply of folding carton packaging and flexible packaging on a global level;

1OJ 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.

2OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p.3 ("the EEA Agreement").

3Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 088, 14.03.2015, p. 8.

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.

-for the Target: folding carton operations business unit of MWV for Europe.

3.3. 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

4OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

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