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Case No COMP/M.7788 - ARDIAN/ ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE/ GEOSEL

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REGULATION (EC) No 139/2004 MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION Date: 23/10/2015

In electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32015M7788

Office for Publications of the European Union L-2985 Luxembourg

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 23.10.2015 C(2015) 7420 final

PUBLIC VERSION

SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE

To the notifying parties:

Dear Sirs,

Subject: Case M.7788– ARDIAN/ ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE/ GEOSEL 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

1.On 22.09.2015, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which the undertakings Ardian France S.A.S. ('Ardian', France) and Electricité de France S.A. ('EDF', France) indirectly acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of the undertaking Géosel Manosque S.A.S. ('Géosel', France) by way of a purchase of shares.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

-- for Ardian : the global provision of private equity and asset management activities in relation to, amongst others, the healthcare, infrastructure, energy, consumer goods and new technologies sectors.

-- for EDF : the generation and wholesale supply of electricity, the transmission, distribution and retail supply of electricity, the provision of other electricity-related services as well as the wholesale and retail sale of natural gas.

-- for Géosel : the underground storage and transportation of hydrocarbons in France.

2.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(b) of

OJ 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.

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

Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 323, 01.10.2015, p. 6.

3.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 and Article 57 of the EEA Agreement.

For the Commission (Signed), Johannes LAITENBERGER Director-General

OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

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