EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG Competition

Only the English text is available and authentic.

REGULATION (EC) No 139/2004 MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION Date: 08/01/2016

In electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32016M7879

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 08.01.2016 C(2016)102 final

PUBLIC VERSION

SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE

To the notifying parties:

Dear Sirs,

1.On 04 December 2015, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which the undertakings Aramco Overseas Company, B.V. (“AOC”, the Netherlands), a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabian Oil Company (“Saudi Aramco”, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and Lanxess Deutschland GmbH (“Lanxess”, Germany) acquire within the meaning of Articles 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation control of a newly established joint venture company (“JV”) by way of purchase of shares and transfer of assets.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

-- Saudi Aramco is engaged in the exploration, production and marketing of crude oil and refined products. It also has supporting activities in marine transportation;

-- AOC provides Saudi Aramco with support services and it is active within the purchasing and logistics market and the inspection, engineering, research and technology, IT, finance, legal, public relations, HR, international staffing and executive services;

-- Laxness is a specialty chemicals company operating on a global basis. Its core business comprises the development, manufacture and sale of plastics, rubber, specialty chemicals and intermediates.

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.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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