BRUSSELS, April 25 (Reuters) - The following are mergers
under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the
EU merger process:
APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS
-- UK private equity firm EQT to acquire Swiss travel
company Kuoni Travel KUNN.S (approved April 22)
-- Belgian steel wire maker NV Bekaert SA BEKB.BR and
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board to jointly control a wire
rope business (approved April 22)
NEW LISTINGS
-- Private equity firm Pillarstone, which is indirectly
controlled by KKR KKR.N , to acquire Italian engineering
services provider Sirtl (notified April 22/deadline June
2/simplified)
-- Private equity firms Bridgepoint and Summit Partners to
jointly acquire software provider Calypso Technology Inc.
(notified April 19/deadline May 30/simplified)
EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES
None
FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE
APRIL 29
-- French container shipping giant CMA CGM to acquire
Singaporean rival Neptune Orient Lines NEPS.SI (notified March
8/deadline extended to April 29 from April 15 after CMA offers
concessions)
MAY 4
-- Industrial rubber maker Trelleborg to buy privately-owned
Czech CGS Holding (notified March 30/deadline May 4)
MAY 11
-- Swiss-based chemicals producer INEOS INGRP.UL to
acquire some of chemicals maker Celanese Corp's CE.N assets
(notified April 1/deadline May 11)
-- HeidelbergCement HEIG.DE to acquire Italian peer
Italcementi ITAI.MI (notified April 1/deadline May 11)
-- British drugmaker Shire SHP.L to acquire U.S. peer
Baxalta BXLT.N (notified April 1/deadline May 11/simplified)
-- Denmark to acquire sole control of Danish energy company
Dong IPO-DONG.CO , which it now jointly owns with investment
bank Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) GS.N (notified April 1/deadline May
11/simplified)
MAY 12
-- Luxembourg investment company Pacific Mezz and private
equity firm Oaktree to jointly acquire Luxembourg leaser of
rolling stock Railpool (notified April 4/deadline May
12/simplified)
-- U.S. rail equipment maker Wabtec Corp WAB.N to acquire
French peer Faiveley Transport SA FAIP.PA (notified April
4/deadline May 12)
-- Austrian energy group OMV OMVV.VI to acquire sole
control of Austrian gas distributor EconGas (notified April
4/deadline May 12/simplified)
MAY 13
-- Dutch pension fund APG and Qatar Diar Real Estate
Investment Company which is owned by the Qatar Investment
Authority, to set up a joint venture to develop properties in
Britain (notified April 5/deadline May 13/simplified)
MAY 17
-- Investment fund Gilde to acquire Dutch agriculture
equipment maker Royal Reesink ROYREd.AS (notified April
6/deadline May 17/simplified)
-- Saint-Gobain SGOB.PA and Corning GLW.N to set up a
joint venture to produce lightweight glazing for the car
industry (notified April 6/deadline May 17)
MAY 19
-- Hutchison Whampoa 0001.HK to acquire Telefonica's
TEF.MC O2 UK subsidiary (notified Sept. 11/deadline extended
to May 19 from April 22 after Hutchison offered concessions)
MAY 24
-- Private equity firm Towerbrook Capital Partners to
acquire information provider Infopro Digital (notified April
13/deadline May 24)
-- Brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev ABI.BR to acquire rival
SABMiller SAB.L (notified March 30/deadline extended to May 24
from May 4 after AB Inbev offers concessions)
MAY 25
-- Canadian investment firm CPPIB and infrastructure
investment firm GIP to jointly acquire Australian company
Asciano's Pacific National business which consists of freight
haulage services in Australia (notified April 14/deadline May
25/simplified)
MAY 26
-- U.S. private equity firm Starwood Capital Group and Banco
Sabadell SABE.MC to set up a joint venture to invest in
hotels(notified April 15/deadline May 26/simplified)
-- U.S. private equity firms Warburg Pincus WP.UL and
General Atlantic, Italian lender Unicredit CRDI.MI and Spanish
bank Santander SAN.MC to combine the asset management business
of SAM Investment Holdings Limited and Pioneer Global Asset
Management S.p.A.(notified April 15/deadline May 26)
MAY 27
-- Property developer Segro and Canada's Public Sector
Pension Investment Board to jointly acquire logistics assets in
the Czech Republic and Italy, which are now solely controlled by
Segro (notified April 18/deadline May 27/simplified)
-- Finnish retailer Kesko KESBV.HE to acquire building
products supplier Onninen (notified April 18/deadline May 27)
JULY 27
-- Airbus Safran Launchers, a 50/50 joint venture between
Airbus AIR.PA and Safran SAF.PA , to acquire sole control of
satellite group Arianespace (notified on Jan. 8/deadline
extended to July 27 from July 12 after the companies asked for
more time)
AUG 11
-- Oilfield services provider Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) HAL.N to buy
rival Baker Hughes BHI.N in a stock and cash transaction
(notified Nov. 27/deadline set for Aug. 11 after the companies
provided more data)
AUG 18
-- CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd 0001.HK and Vimpelcom VIP.O
to merge their Italian mobile operations (notified Feb.
5/deadline extended to Aug 18 from Aug. 10 after the companies
asked for more time)
SUSPENDED
-- SOCAR, Azerbaijan's state energy company, to buy stakes
in Greek natural gas grid operator DESFA from Greek natural gas
utility DEPA (notified Oct. 1/deadline suspended on Jan. 21)
GUIDE TO EU MERGER PROCESS
DEADLINES:
The European Commission has 25 working days after a deal is
filed for a first-stage review. It may extend that by 10 working
days to 35 working days, to consider either a company's proposed
remedies or an EU member state's request to handle the case.
Most mergers win approval but occasionally the Commission
opens a detailed second-stage investigation for up to 90
additional working days, which it may extend to 105 working
days.
SIMPLIFIED:
Under the simplified procedure, the Commission announces the
clearance of uncontroversial first-stage mergers without giving
any reason for its decision. Cases may be reclassified as
non-simplified - that is, ordinary first-stage reviews - until
they are approved.