EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG Competition

Case M.9101 - EXXONMOBIL / QATAR PETROLEUM / EXXONMOBIL EXPLORATION ARGENTINA / MOBIL ARGENTINA

Only the English text is available and authentic.

REGULATION (EC) No 139/2004 MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION Date: 02/10/2018

In electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32018M9101

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 02.10.2018 C(2018) 6546 final

PUBLIC VERSION

To the notifying parties

Dear Sir or Madam,

1.1. On 10 September 2018, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which the undertakings Exxon Mobil (USA) and Qatar Petroleum (Qatar) acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control of ExxonMobil Exploration Argentina S.R.L. (Argentina), and Mobil Argentina S.A. (Argentina), both belonging to ExxonMobil by way of purchase of shares.

2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

–– Exxon Mobil is active worldwide in the development, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas; the refining and sale of refined petroleum products; the development, production, and sale of various chemical products; and power generation.

–– Qatar Petroleum is active worldwide in the exploration, drilling and production operations, transport, storage, marketing and sale of crude oil, refined products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals and fertilizers.

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 329, 18.9.2018, 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.

– ExxonMobil Exploration Argentina S.R.L. and Mobil Argentina S.A.are wholly owned affiliates of ExxonMobil in Argentina, which own and operate the Vaca Muerta shale field in Neuquen province in Argentina and are active in the exploration, development, production, and sale of crude oil and gas in Argentina.

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(a) 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) Johannes LAITENBERGER Director-General

4OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

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