The invention involves a control valve arrangement to activate at least one start-up clutch of a motor vehicle automatic transmission with at least one clutch control valve (3, 3′, 3″) across which a supply pressure (P_V1) can be led into a pressure chamber of an associated clutch activation device (4, 4′), with a pressure regulating valve (166), which is controlled by an electronic control device, and at least one control valve of the control valve arrangement is supplied with a pilot pressure (P_VST3), and with a self-maintaining hydraulic unit with whose help a hydraulic emergency operation can be maintained with a closed start-up clutch upon the failure of an electronic control device and thus the absence of a pilot pressure (P_VST3) in at least many operational situations. This control valve arrangement is characterized in that the self-maintaining hydraulic unit to achieve the emergency operation function has a self-maintaining valve (1) and an activation valve (2), in that the self-maintaining valve (1) is constructed such that it is suitable for forwarding an activation pressure (P_A) depending on a motor rotational speed or the transmission output rotational speed control pressure (P_D) to the activation valve (2), in that the activation valve (2) is able to forward the activation pressure (P_A) to at least one clutch-regulating valve (3, 3″), and in that the control valve arrangement is equipped with the means with which the activation or deactivation of the emergency operation function can be controlled by the clutch activation pressure (P_K, P_K′).