The Official Journal of the European Union has published on August 5th its non-opposition to a notified concentration between the British company De la Rue and The Carlyle Group of the USA. The operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.

The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of De La Rue plc of the UK by The Carlyle Group of the USA. On June 27th the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration by which the Carlile Group acquires control of the whole of the cash systems business of De La Rue plc by way of purchase of shares and assets.

The business activities of the involved companies are:

• The Carlile Group, is a private global investment firm that originates, structures and acts as lead equity investor in management-led buyouts, strategic minority equity investments, equity private placements, consolidations and buildups, and growth capital financings. With 60 funds across four investment disciplines (buyouts, venture & growth capital, real estate and leveraged finance), Carlyle combines global vision with local insight, relying on a top-flight team of 500 investment professionals operating out of offices in 21 countries to uncover superior opportunities in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East/North Africa and Latin America.
• De La Rue (Public, LON:DLAR), is a leading commercial currency production and cash handling company.  It is involved in every stage of the cash cycle, from making security paper and printing the currency, to providing equipment that keeps the cash cycle in motion. Around the world, central and commercial banks use De La Rue equipment to count and sort notes quickly, reliably and in large quantities.