18.12.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 425/22

1.

On 11 December 2015, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which Ageas Portugal Holdings SGPS, SA (‘Ageas Portugal’, Portugal) an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Ageas SA/NV, (‘Ageas’, Belgium), acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation sole control of: (i) AXA Portugal, Companhia de Seguros, SA; (ii) AXA Portugal, Companhia de Seguros de Vida, SA; and (iii) the unincorporated business of direct property and casualty insurance operated by AXA Global Direct Seguros y Reaseguros SAU through its Portuguese branch (together ‘AXA Portugal’, Portugal).

2.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

—   for Ageas: provision of life and non-life insurance services to individuals, business and institutional customers in several EEA countries and in Asia,

—   for AXA Portugal: provision of insurance products and services, in both the non-life and life insurance in Portugal.

3.

On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved. Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in this Notice.

4.

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission.

Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. Observations can be sent to the Commission by fax (+32 22964301), by email to COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu or by post, under reference number M.7855 — Ageas/AXA Portugal, to the following address: