18/04/2023 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday 18 April, under the Merger Regulation (EC n°139/2004), the European Commission approved the acquisition of joint control, by way of purchase of shares, of Archipels S.A.S. by four companies based in France: Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC), Électricité de France, Engie and Imprimerie Nationale. Archipels provides a blockchain-based decentralised identity platform to certify and verify documents and information. Archipels is currently controlled by CDC, EDF and Engie. The European Commission examined the proposed acquisition, after notification, under the simplified merger control procedure. It concluded that the transaction would not raise competition concerns, as the firm’s activities within the European Economic Area will remain limited. Link to the case in the public register: https://aeur.eu/f/6d3 (EV)