27. 7. 96 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 188/37 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 24 June 1996 relating to a proceeding pursuant to Article 85 of the EC Treaty and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (IV/34.607 — Banque Nationale de Paris — Dresdner Bank) (Only the French and German texts are authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (96/454/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, Having regard to Council Regulation No 17 of 6 February 1962, First Regulation implementing Articles 85 and 86 of the Treaty ('), as last amended by the Act of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden, and in particular Articles 2, 6 and 8 thereof, Having regard to the application for negative clearance and the notification seeking exemption, submitted on 27 January 1993 pursuant to Articles 2 and 4 of Regulation No 17, Having regard to the summary of the application and the notification published () pursuant to Article 19 (3) of Regulation No 17 and Article 3 of Protocol 21 to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, After consulting the Advisory Committee on Restrictive Practices and Dominant Positions, Whereas: () OJ No 13, 21. 2. 1962, p. 204/62. ) OJ No C 312, 23. 11. 1995, p. 13. M @ A. THE FACTS 1. THE NOTIFIED COOPERATION AGREEMENT The notification The cooperation agreement was formally notified to the Commission of the European Communities on 27 January 1993 in accordance with Articles 2 and 4 of Regulation No 17. It provides for full and, in principle, exclusive cooperation world-wide between Banque Nationale de Paris SA (BNP) and Dresdner Bank AG (DB) in the banking sector. It is of indefinite duration and was approved at the annual general meetings of the two banks. The aims of the cooperation — The two banks wish to meet the growing chal- lenge in the banking sector that is posed by new competitors such as foreign banks, insu- rance companies, companies with their own in-house banks, and also the credit card compa- nies that are offering an ever-expanding range