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Case No COMP/M.5260 - BNP PARIBAS / CHOMETTE / GE / CAPITAL FRANCE HOTEL

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REGULATION (EC) No 139/2004 MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION Date: 21/08/2008

In electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32008M5260

Office for Official Publications of the European Communities L-2985 Luxembourg

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 21/8/2008

SG-Greffe(2008) D/205186/205187/205188

C (2008) 4611

PUBLIC VERSION

MERGER PROCEDURE ARTICLE 6(1)(b) DECISION

SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURE

To the notifying parties:

For information ñ Legal representatives:

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

Subject: Case No COMP/M.5260 - BNP PARIBAS/ CHOMETTE/ GE/ CAPITAL FRANCE HOTEL Notification of 16.07.2008 pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 188, date 25/07/2008, page 58

1.On 16.07.2008, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 by which the undertakings BNP Paribas Assurance S.A. ("BNPP Assurance", France) belonging to the BNP Paribas S.A. group ("BNPP", France), Sophia GE S.A. ("Sophia GE", France) belonging to the General Electric Company Inc. group ("GE", USA) and Mr Jean-Philippe Chomette ("Chomette", France) acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Council Regulation joint control of the undertaking Capital France HÙtel SCF ("CFH", France) by way of purchase of shares.

1OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1.

Commission europÈenne, B-1049 Bruxelles / Europese Commissie, B-1049 Brussel - Belgium. Telephone: (32-2) 299 11 11.

2.The business activities of the undertakings concerned are :

-- for BNP Paribas Assurance: provision of insurance services, notably savings, protection and property and casualty insurance;

-- for BNP Paribas: worldwide banking and financial activities, in particular, investment and financial banking, retail banking and asset management

-- for Sophia GE: ownership and management of commercial real estate mainly located in France;

-- for GE: a diversified company active in various fields such as manufacturing, technology and services;

-- for Chomette: a private investor controlling Algonquin S.A., a Belgian investment company holding stakes in small- and medium-sized enterprises;

-- for CFH: ownership and management of hotel properties in urban locations in France.

3.After examination of the notification, the Commission has concluded that the notified operation falls within the scope of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 and of paragraph 5, subparagraph 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 Commission has decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it compatible with the common market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004.

For the Commission (Signed) Philip LOWE Director General

2OJ C 56, 5.3.2005, p. 32.

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