ISSN 1977-091X

Official Journal

of the European Union

C 171

European flag  

English edition

Information and Notices

Volume 61
18 May 2018


Notice No

Contents

page

 

IV   Notices

 

NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES

 

European Commission

2018/C 171/01

Euro exchange rates

1

2018/C 171/02

Commission Implementing Decision of 17 May 2018 on the financing of the 2018 work programme on training in the field of food and feed safety, animal health, animal welfare and plant health in the framework of the Better training for safer food programme

2

2018/C 171/03

Communication pursuant to Article 37(2) of Regulation (EU) No 908/2014 concerning the composition of the Conciliation Body, instituted in the context of the clearance of accounts of EAGF and the EAFRD

8

 

NOTICES FROM MEMBER STATES

2018/C 171/04

Information communicated by Member States regarding closure of fisheries

9


 

V   Announcements

 

PROCEDURES RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMON COMMERCIAL POLICY

 

European Commission

2018/C 171/05

Notice of initiation concerning the anti-dumping measures applicable to imports of certain open mesh fabrics of glass fibres originating in the People’s Republic of China, as extended to imports consigned from India, whether declared as originating in India or not

10

 

PROCEDURES RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPETITION POLICY

 

European Commission

2018/C 171/06

Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.8924 — HgCapital/TA Associates/Access) — Candidate case for simplified procedure ( 1 )

13

2018/C 171/07

Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.8906 — Goodyear/Bridgestone/TireHub) — Candidate case for simplified procedure ( 1 )

15


 


 

(1)   Text with EEA relevance.

EN

 


IV Notices

NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES

European Commission

18.5.2018   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 171/1


Euro exchange rates (1)

17 May 2018

(2018/C 171/01)

1 euro =


 

Currency

Exchange rate

USD

US dollar

1,1805

JPY

Japanese yen

130,66

DKK

Danish krone

7,4481

GBP

Pound sterling

0,87350

SEK

Swedish krona

10,2950

CHF

Swiss franc

1,1819

ISK

Iceland króna

123,20

NOK

Norwegian krone

9,5565

BGN

Bulgarian lev

1,9558

CZK

Czech koruna

25,557

HUF

Hungarian forint

316,58

PLN

Polish zloty

4,2899

RON

Romanian leu

4,6319

TRY

Turkish lira

5,2497

AUD

Australian dollar

1,5681

CAD

Canadian dollar

1,5077

HKD

Hong Kong dollar

9,2666

NZD

New Zealand dollar

1,7125

SGD

Singapore dollar

1,5845

KRW

South Korean won

1 275,60

ZAR

South African rand

14,8009

CNY

Chinese yuan renminbi

7,5174

HRK

Croatian kuna

7,3803

IDR

Indonesian rupiah

16 588,39

MYR

Malaysian ringgit

4,6854

PHP

Philippine peso

61,711

RUB

Russian rouble

73,1549

THB

Thai baht

37,859

BRL

Brazilian real

4,3286

MXN

Mexican peso

23,1680

INR

Indian rupee

79,9645


(1)  Source: reference exchange rate published by the ECB.


18.5.2018   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 171/2


COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION

of 17 May 2018

on the financing of the 2018 work programme on training in the field of food and feed safety, animal health, animal welfare and plant health in the framework of the ‘Better training for safer food’ programme

(2018/C 171/02)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 (1) and, in particular, Article 84 thereof,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 652/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 laying down provisions for the management of expenditure relating to the food chain, animal health and animal welfare, and relating to plant health and plant reproductive material, amending Council Directives 98/56/EC, 2000/29/EC and 2008/90/EC, Regulations (EC) No 178/2002, (EC) No 882/2004 and (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Decisions 66/399/EEC, 76/894/EEC and 2009/470/EC (2), and in particular Article 36(1) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) lays down general rules for the performance of official controls to verify compliance with rules aiming, in particular, at preventing, eliminating or reducing to acceptable levels risks to humans and animals and guaranteeing fair practices in feed and food trade and protecting consumer interests. Article 51 of that Regulation provides that the Commission may organise training courses for the staff of the competent authorities of Member States responsible for the official controls referred to in that Regulation, which may be opened to participants from third countries, in particular developing countries. Those courses may include, in particular, training on European Union feed and food law and animal health and animal welfare rules.

(2)

Article 2(1)(i) of Council Directive 2000/29/EC (4) provides the legal basis for organising courses in the field of plant health.

(3)

The ‘Better training for safer food’ programme was established by the Commission in 2006 in order to achieve the aims set out in Regulation (EC) No 882/2004. The Commission communication of 20 September 2006 on ‘Better training for safer food’ (5) explores options for future organisation of training.

(4)

Regulation (EU) No 652/2014 establishes provisions for the management of expenditure from the general budget of the European Union in the fields governing food and feed safety, animal health and welfare and plant health rules. Article 31 provides that the Union may finance the training of the staff of the competent authorities responsible for official controls, as referred to in Article 51 of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004, in order to develop a harmonised approach to official controls and other official activities to ensure a high level of protection of human, animal and plant health.

(5)

In order to ensure implementation of the ‘Better training for safer food’ programme in Member States it is necessary to adopt a financing decision and the work programme on training in the field of food and feed safety, animal health, animal welfare and plant health for 2018. Article 94 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 (6) establishes detailed rules on financing decisions.

(6)

Commission Implementing Decision 2013/770/EU (7) establishes the ‘Consumer, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency’ (‘the Agency’). This Decision entrusts the Agency with certain management and programme implementation tasks relating to the food safety training measures performed pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 and Directive 2000/29/EC.

(7)

It is necessary to allow for the payment of interest due for late payment on the basis of Article 92 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 and Article 111(4) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012.

(8)

In order to allow for flexibility in the implementation of the work programme, it is appropriate to define the term ‘substantial change’, within the meaning of Article 94(4) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012.

(9)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The work programme

The annual work programme for the implementation of the ‘Better training for safer food’ programme for 2018, as set out in the Annex, is adopted.

The annual work programme constitutes a financing decision within the meaning of Article 84 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012.

Article 2

Union contribution

1.   The maximum contribution for the implementation of the work programme for the year 2018 is set at EUR 17 500 000 and shall be financed from the appropriations entered in the budget line 17 04 03 of the general budget of the European Union for 2018.

2.   The appropriations provided for in paragraph 1 may also cover interest due for late payment.

Article 3

Flexibility clause

Cumulated changes to the allocations to specific actions not exceeding 20 % of the maximum contribution provided for in Article 2(1) of this Decision shall not be considered to be substantial within the meaning of Article 94(4) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012, where those changes do not significantly affect the nature of the actions and the objective of the work programme. The increase of the maximum contribution set in Article 2(1) of this Decision shall not exceed 20 %.

The responsible authorising officer may apply the type of changes referred to in the first paragraph. Those changes shall be applied in accordance with the principles of sound financial management and of proportionality.

Done at Brussels, 17 May 2018.

For the Commission

Vytenis ANDRIUKAITIS

Member of the Commission


(1)  OJ L 298, 26.10.2012, p. 1.

(2)  OJ L 189, 27.6.2014, p. 1.

(3)  Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules (OJ L 165, 30.4.2004, p. 1).

(4)  Council Directive 2000/29/EC of 8 May 2000 on protective measures against the introduction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community (OJ L 169, 10.7.2000, p. 1).

(5)  Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament. ‘Better training for safer food’, COM(2006) 519 final of 20 September 2006.

(6)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 of 29 October 2012 on the rules of application of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (OJ L 362, 31.12.2012, p. 1).

(7)  Commission Implementing Decision 2013/770/EU of 17 December 2013 establishing the Consumer, Health and Food Executive Agency and repealing Decision 2004/858/EC (OJ L 341, 18.12.2013, p. 69).


ANNEX

1.   Introduction

On the basis of the objectives laid down in Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 and Directive 2000/29/EC, this work programme contains the actions to be financed and the budget breakdown for year 2018 as follows:

1.1.

Procurement (implemented under direct management): External contracts for the execution of the training programme and other learning tools

EUR 17 500 000

TOTAL

EUR 17 500 000

2.   Procurement

The overall budgetary allocation reserved for procurement contracts in 2018 amounts to EUR 17 500 000.

LEGAL BASIS

Regulation (EC) No 882/2004, Article 51

Directive 2000/29/EC, Article 2(1)(i)

Regulation (EU) No 652/2014, Articles 31 and 36(1)

BUDGET LINE

Budget line: 17 04 03

INDICATIVE NUMBER AND TYPE OF CONTRACTS ENVISAGED

For each of the technical issues referred to below, one or more direct or framework service contracts will be signed. It is estimated that around 18 direct or specific service contracts will be signed. External contractors are mainly involved in the organisational and logistical aspects of the training activities.

SUBJECT OF THE CONTRACTS ENVISAGED (IF POSSIBLE)

For 2018, the training actions will concern the following subjects:

Activities

Amount in EUR

Plant health controls

1 280 000

Plant health surveys

630 000

Controls over pesticide application equipment

350 000

Controls on plastic recycling processes

275 000

Control of contaminants

765 000

Feed law, including feed hygiene

865 000

Organic farming

995 000

Protected food names

970 000

Control checks at Border Inspection Posts

865 000

TRACES (sanitary, phytosanitary and quality aspects)

1 170 000

Control of movements of dogs and cats

575 000

Food hygiene at primary production level

1 025 000

Risk assessment

1 025 000

Support to enforcement in sanitary and phytosanitary fields

1 710 000

EU approach to novel food

980 000

Food testing

2 090 000

New official control Regulation

480 000

Online learning and teaching, including development of tools, BTSF Academy, support and assistance

1 000 000

Animal health and welfare, plant health and food safety contingency trainings, conferences, crisis exercises and learning and dissemination tools

450 000

TOTAL

17 500 000

OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES PURSUED

The operational objectives pursued are to develop, organise and manage the training programmes in the identified areas in order to ensure high level of competence amongst control staff, make official controls more uniform, objective and efficient throughout the EU and contribute to a greater uniformity of control procedures between EU and non-EU partners.

EXPECTED RESULTS

The results, as expected by the Commission, are as follows:

(a)

improve the awareness and knowledge of control staff in the identified training areas;

(b)

provide for a common understanding of the current EU provisions and tools relating to official controls in the identified training areas;

(c)

disseminate best practices for official controls in the identified training areas;

(d)

favour exchange of experience in order to increase the level of expertise and harmonisation in the approach to official controls in the identified training areas.

IMPLEMENTATION

EUR 17 500 000 (financing of food safety measures under Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 and Directive 2000/29/EC) will be managed and implemented by the Consumer, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (Implementing Decision 2013/770/EU).

INDICATIVE TIME FRAME FOR LAUNCHING THE PROCUREMENT PROCEDURE

Approximately during 2nd-3rd quarter of 2018

INDICATIVE AMOUNT OF THE CALL FOR TENDERS

EUR 17 500 000


18.5.2018   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 171/8


Communication pursuant to Article 37(2) of Regulation (EU) No 908/2014 concerning the composition of the Conciliation Body, instituted in the context of the clearance of accounts of EAGF and the EAFRD

(2018/C 171/03)

The composition of the Conciliation Body is as follows:

Chairperson:

Mr Herman HOOYBERGHS

appointed for the period 1.8.2016 – 31.7.2019

Members:

Mrs Isabel BOMBAL DÌAZ

re-appointed for the period 1.8.2018 – 31.7.2019

 

Mr Gerald LAVERY

appointed for the period 1.8.2016 – 31.7.2019

 

Mr Matthias REEH

appointed for the period 1.8.2016 – 31.7.2019

 

Mr Godfried THISSEN

appointed for the period 1.8.2016 – 31.7.2019.


NOTICES FROM MEMBER STATES

18.5.2018   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 171/9


Information communicated by Member States regarding closure of fisheries

(2018/C 171/04)

In accordance with Article 35(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 of 20 November 2009 establishing a Union control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy (1), a decision has been taken to close the fishery as set down in the following table:

Date and time of closure

14.4.2018

Duration

14.4.2018-31.12.2018

Member State

Belgium

Stock or Group of stocks

RJU/07E.

Species

Undulate ray (Raja undulata)

Zone

Union waters of 7e

Type(s) of fishing vessels

Reference number

08/TQ120


(1)  OJ L 343, 22.12.2009, p. 1.


V Announcements

PROCEDURES RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMON COMMERCIAL POLICY

European Commission

18.5.2018   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 171/10


Notice of initiation concerning the anti-dumping measures applicable to imports of certain open mesh fabrics of glass fibres originating in the People's Republic of China, as extended to imports consigned from India, whether declared as originating in India or not

(2018/C 171/05)

By Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 791/2011 (1), the Council imposed a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of certain open mesh fabrics of glass fibres originating in the People's Republic of China.

The measures were extended to imports consigned from India, whether declared as originating in India or not, on 20 December 2013, by Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1371/2013 (2).

On 21 January 2014, Pyrotek Incorporated, a North American company with factories or sales offices in various countries, including EU Member States, requested an exemption from the extended measures pursuant to Article 11(4) of Council Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 of 8 June 2016 on protection against dumped imports from countries not members of the European Community (the basic Regulation) (3) in respect of Pyrotek India Pvt. Ltd, an exporting producer from India.

In response to a questionnaire sent by the Commission, Pyrotek India Pvt. Ltd indicated that it had exported the product concerned during the period of the anti-circumvention investigation leading to the extension of the measures to India (from 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013). Therefore, Pyrotek India Pvt. Ltd did not meet the conditions set in Article 11(4) of the basic Regulation.

However, the request contained sufficient evidence to justify the initiation of a partial interim review of the measures as extended to India pursuant to Articles 11(3) and 13(4) of the basic Regulation.

On 23 September 2014, the Commission initiated a partial interim review and, as a result, Pyrotek India Pvt. Ltd obtained an exemption from the extended measures on 10 September 2015 (4) for exports to the EU as of that date.

1.   Reopening of the exemption investigation

During the partial interim review investigation, it was established that Pyrotek India Pvt. Ltd had been a genuine producer of the product concerned since it started its production in August 2011 and did not engage in circumvention practices.

Therefore, further to Pyrotek India Pvt. Ltd request, the Commission has decided to reopen the exemption investigation. The reopening is limited in scope to assessing whether it would be appropriate to extend the temporal scope of the exemption to the period between 20 December 2013 and 10 September 2015.

2.   Procedure

Having determined, after informing the Member States, that a partial reopening of the exemption investigation is justified, the Commission hereby partially reopens the exemption investigation concerning imports of open mesh fabrics of glass fibres, of a cell size of more than 1,8 mm both in length and in width and weighing more than 35 g/m2, excluding glass fibre discs, originating in the People's Republic of China or consigned from India, whether declared as originating in India or not, currently falling within CN codes ex 7019 51 00 and ex 7019 59 00, initiated pursuant to Articles 11(3) and 13(4) of the basic Regulation by a notice published in the Official Journal of the European Union  (5).

The reopening is limited in scope to the examination of whether it would be appropriate to extend the temporal scope of the exemption to the period between 20 December 2013 and 10 September 2015.

2.1.   Written submissions

Subject to the provisions of this Notice, all interested parties are hereby invited to make their views known, submit information and provide supporting evidence. Unless otherwise specified, this information and supporting evidence must reach the Commission within 37 days of the date of publication of this Notice in the Official Journal of the European Union.

2.2.   Possibility to be heard by the Commission investigation services

All interested parties may request to be heard by the Commission investigation services. Any request to be heard should be made in writing and should specify the reasons for the request. For hearings on issues pertaining to the initial stage of the investigation the request must be submitted within 15 days of the date of publication of this Notice in the Official Journal of the European Union.

2.3.   Instructions for making written submissions and sending completed questionnaires and correspondence

Information submitted to the Commission for the purpose of trade defence investigations shall be free from copyrights. Interested parties, before submitting to the Commission information and/or data which is subject to third party copyrights, must request specific permission to the copyright holder explicitly allowing a) the Commission to use the information and data for the purpose of this trade defence proceeding and b) to provide the information and/or data to interested parties to this investigation in a form that allows them to exercise their rights of defence.

All written submissions, including the information requested in this Notice, completed questionnaires and correspondence provided by interested parties for which confidential treatment is requested shall be labelled ‘Limited’ (6). Parties submitting information in the course of this investigation are invited to reason their request for confidential treatment

Interested parties providing ‘Limited’ information are required to furnish non- confidential summaries of it pursuant to Article 19(2) of the basic Regulation, which will be labelled ‘For inspection by interested parties’. These summaries should be sufficiently detailed to permit a reasonable understanding of the substance of the information submitted in confidence. If a party providing confidential information fails to show good cause for a confidential treatment request or does not furnish a non-confidential summary of it in the requested format and quality, the Commission may disregard such information unless it can be satisfactorily demonstrated from appropriate sources that the information is correct.

Interested parties are invited to make all submissions and requests by email including scanned powers of attorney and certification sheets, with the exception of voluminous replies which shall be submitted on a CD-ROM or DVD by hand or by registered mail. By using email, interested parties express their agreement with the rules applicable to electronic submissions contained in the document ‘CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IN TRADE DEFENCE CASES’ published on the website of the Directorate-General for Trade: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2011/june/tradoc_148003.pdf The interested parties must indicate their name, address, telephone and a valid email address and they should ensure that the provided email address is a functioning official business email which is checked on a daily basis. Once contact details are provided, the Commission will communicate with interested parties by email only, unless they explicitly request to receive all documents from the Commission by another means of communication or unless the nature of the document to be sent requires the use of a registered mail. For further rules and information concerning correspondence with the Commission including principles that apply to submissions by email, interested parties should consult the communication instructions with interested parties referred to above.

Commission address for correspondence:

European Commission

Directorate-General for Trade

Directorate H

Office: CHAR 04/039

1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

Email: TRADE-OPEN-MESH-PYROTEK@ec.europa.eu

3.   Non-cooperation

In cases where any interested party refuses access to or does not provide the necessary information within the time limits, or significantly impedes the investigation, provisional or final findings, affirmative or negative, may be made on the basis of facts available, in accordance with Article 18 of the basic Regulation.

Where it is found that any interested party has supplied false or misleading information, the information may be disregarded and use may be made of facts available.

If an interested party does not cooperate or cooperates only partially and findings are therefore based on facts available in accordance with Article 18 of the basic Regulation, the result may be less favourable to that party than if it had cooperated.

Failure to give a computerised response shall not be deemed to constitute non-cooperation, provided that the interested party shows that presenting the response as requested would result in an unreasonable extra burden or unreasonable additional cost. The interested party should immediately contact the Commission.

4.   Hearing Officer

Interested parties may request the intervention of the Hearing Officer in trade proceedings. The Hearing Officer acts as an interface between the interested parties and the Commission investigation services.

The Hearing Officer reviews requests for access to the file, disputes regarding the confidentiality of documents, requests for extension of time limits and requests by third parties to be heard. The Hearing Officer may organise a hearing with an individual interested party and mediate to ensure that the interested parties' rights of defence are being fully exercised.

A request for a hearing with the Hearing Officer should be made in writing and should specify the reasons for the request. For hearings on issues pertaining to the initial stage of the investigation the request must be submitted within 15 days of the date of publication of this Notice in the Official Journal of the European Union.

For further information and contact details interested parties may consult the Hearing Officer's web pages on DG Trade's website: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/trade-policy-and-you/contacts/hearing-officer/

5.   Processing of personal data

Any personal data collected in this investigation will be treated in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (7).


(1)  Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 791/2011 of 3 August 2011 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty and collecting definitively the provisional duty imposed on imports of certain open mesh fabrics of glass fibres originating in the People's Republic of China (OJ L 204, 9.8.2011, p. 1).

(2)  Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1371/2013 of 16 December 2013 extending the definitive anti-dumping duty imposed by Implementing Regulation (EU) No 791/2011 on imports of certain open mesh fabrics of glass fibres originating in the People's Republic of China to imports of certain open mesh fabrics of glass fibres consigned from India and Indonesia, whether declared as originating in India and Indonesia or not (OJ L 376, 20.12.2013, p. 20).

(3)  OJ L 176, 30.6.2016, p. 21.

(4)  Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1507 of 9 September 2015 amending Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1371/2013 extending a definitive anti- dumping duty imposed on imports of certain open mesh fabrics of glass fibres originating in the People's Republic of China to imports consigned, inter alia, from India, whether declared as originating in India or not (OJ L 236, 10.9.2015, p. 1).

(5)  Notice of initiation of a partial interim review of the anti-dumping measures applicable to imports of certain open mesh fabrics of glass fibres originating in the People's Republic of China, as extended to imports consigned from India, whether declared as originating in India or not (OJ C 330, 23.9.2014, p. 8).

(6)  A ‘Limited’ document is a document which is considered confidential pursuant to Article 19 of the basic Regulation and Article 6 of the WTO Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the GATT 1994 (Anti-Dumping Agreement). It is also a document protected pursuant to Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 145, 31.5.2001, p. 43).

(7)  OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1.


PROCEDURES RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPETITION POLICY

European Commission

18.5.2018   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 171/13


Prior notification of a concentration

(Case M.8924 — HgCapital/TA Associates/Access)

Candidate case for simplified procedure

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2018/C 171/06)

1.

On 8 May 2018, the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1).

This notification concerns the following undertakings:

HgCapital LLP (‘Hg’, United Kingdom),

TA Associates L.P.(‘TA’, United States),

The Access Group (‘Access’, United Kingdom), controlled by TA.

Hg and TA acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of the whole of Access.

The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.

2.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

Hg is a private equity company which manages investment funds that invest mainly in Europe. A number of Hg’s portfolio companies provide IT Services including the provision of business software,

TA is a private equity company active in North America, Europe and Asia. Some of TA’s portfolio companies provide IT services, including the provision of business software,

Access is a portfolio company of TA and primarily supplies a range of enterprise application software solutions in Financial Management Solutions and Human Capital Management, including industry-specific solutions within hospitality, recruiting, health and social care, manufacturing and distribution, education, not for profit and other industries.

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 the 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 the 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. The following reference should always be specified:

M.8924 — HgCapital/TA Associates/Access

Observations can be sent to the Commission by email, by fax, or by post. Please use the contact details below:

Email: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu

Fax +32 22964301

Postal address:

European Commission

Directorate-General for Competition

Merger Registry

1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË


(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’).

(2)  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.


18.5.2018   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 171/15


Prior notification of a concentration

(Case M.8906 — Goodyear/Bridgestone/TireHub)

Candidate case for simplified procedure

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2018/C 171/07)

1.

On 7 May 2018, the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1).

This notification concerns the following undertakings:

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (United States),

Bridgestone Corporation (Japan),

TireHub, LLC.

Goodyear and Bridgestone acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control of TireHub.

The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares in a newly created company constituting a joint venture.

2.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

Goodyear is a US-based manufacturer and distributor of tyres and related products and services, active worldwide,

Bridgestone is a Japanese corporation which is active worldwide in the manufacture and sale of tyre and rubber products,

TireHub will combine the US tyre wholesale distribution businesses of Bridgestone and Goodyear to offer wholesale, distribution and delivery services to customers across a broad range of products and an expanded network of locations across the US.

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 the 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 the 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. The following reference should always be specified:

M.8906 — Goodyear/Bridgestone/TireHub

Observations can be sent to the Commission by email, by fax, or by post. Please use the contact details below:

Email: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu

Fax +32 22964301

Postal address:

European Commission

Directorate-General for Competition

Merger Registry

1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË


(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’).

(2)  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.