BRUSSELS, Oct 16 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under
review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU
merger process:
APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS
-- Chilean-based miner Antofagasta ANTO.L to acquire 50
percent of Canadian minier Barrick Gold Corp 's ABX.TO Zaldivar
copper mine (approved Oct. 15)
-- U.S. plane maker Lockheed Martin (N:LMT) LMT.N to acquire U.S.
peer Sikorsky Aircraft from United Technologies Corp (N:UTX) UTX.N
(approved Oct. 15)
NEW LISTINGS
-- China's HNA Group HNAIRC.UL to acquire Swiss air cargo
handler Swissport International (notified Oct. 15/deadline Nov.
20)
EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES
None
FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE
OCT 16
-- PGA Motors SAS, which is indirectly controlled by German
carmaker Volkswagen (DE:VOWG) AG VOWG_p.DE , to acquire car seller MSA
Groupe SAS (notified Sept. 11/deadline Oct. 16)
OCT 19
-- Investors Parcom Capital and Pon Holdings to acquire
Dutch engineering services company Royal Imtech 's IMUN.AS
marine unit (notified Sept. 14/deadline Oct. 19)
OCT 23
-- Also Holding AG ALSN.S , a unit of Germany's Droege
International Group AG, to acquire Polish IT company PC Factory
S.A. (notified Sept. 18/deadline Oct. 23)
OCT 27
-- Financial industry software maker Fidelity National
Information Services FIS.N to acquire U.S. peer SunGard Data
Systems Inc BAINSD.UL (notified Sept. 22/deadline Oct.
27/simplified)
OCT 28
-- Grosvenor Group GROV.UL and Canada's Public Sector
Pension Investment Board to jointly acquire a real estate
property in Milan, Italy (notified Sept. 23/deadline Oct.
28/simplified)
OCT 29
-- U.S. data center operator Equinix EQIX.O to acquire
British peer Telecity Group TCY.L (notified Sept. 24/deadline
Oct. 29)
OCT 30
-- Hutchison Whampoa 0001.HK to acquire Telefonica 's
TEF.MC O2 UK subsidiary (notified Sept. 11/deadline extended
to Oct. 30 from Oct 16 after the British competition authority
asked to take over the case)
-- Private equity firm Triton to acquire Dutch engineering
services company Imtech's IMUN.AS Nordic businesses (notified
Sept. 25/deadline Oct. 30)
-- German home improvement store OBI OBI.UL to acquire
Austrian retailer BauMax (notified Sept. 25/deadline Oct.
30/simplified)
NOV 9
-- Coca-Cola Enterprises (N:CCE) CCE.N , Coca-Cola Iberian
Partners, German bottler Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetraenke AG and
Icelandic bottler Vífilfell hf to merge (notified Oct.
2/deadline Nov. 9)
-- U.S. chipmaker Avago Technologies AVGO.O to acquire
U.S. peer Broadcom Corp BRCM.O (notified Oct. 2/deadline Nov.
9)
NOV 10
-- U.S. private investment fund Sun Capital to acquire
Finlays Horticulture (notified Oct. 5/deadline Nov.
10/simplified)
-- French insurer Axa AXAF.PA to acquire insurer Genworth
Financial Inc's GNW.N lifestyle protection insurance business
(notified Oct. 5/deadline Nov. 10/simplified)
-- BT Pension Scheme and Canada Pension Plan Investment
Board to acquire a London property (notified Oct. 5/deadline
Nov. 10/simplified)
NOV 12
-- Private equity firm CCMP Capital Advisors and chemicals
company Ineos INEOSE.UL to jointly acquire U.S. sulphuric acid
producer Eco Services (notified Oct. 7/deadline Nov.
12/simplified)
NOV 13
-- Japanese steel producer Marubeni-Itochu Steel and
Sumitomo Corp 8053.T to combined their domestic Japanese steel
building materials businesses (notified Oct. 8/deadline Nov. 13)
NOV 16
-- BT Pension Scheme and Canada Pension Plan Investment
Board to acquire a London property (notified Oct. 9/deadline
Nov. 16/simplified)
-- U.S. industrial group Honeywell HON.N to acquire the
Elster utility consumption metering business of British company
Melrose Industries Plc MRON.L (notified Oct. 9/deadline Nov.
16)
NOV 17
-- Swiss insurer ACE ACE.N to acquire U.S. peer Chubb (N:CB)
CB.N notified Oct. 12/deadline Nov. 17/simplified)
NOV 18
-- Insurance broker Willis Group WSH.N to acquire
financial management services provider Towers Watson & Co TW.O
(notified Oct. 13/deadline Nov. 18/simplified)
-- Belgian chemical group Solvay SOLB.BR to acquire U.S.
peer Cytec CYT.N (notified Oct. 13/deadline Nov. 18)
DEC 9
-- U.S. drinks can maker Ball Corp (N:BLL) BLL.N to acquire
British rival Rexam Plc REX.L (notified June 15/deadline
extended to Dec. 9 from Nov. 25)
JAN 13
-- U.S. packages delivery company FedEx (N:FDX) FDX.N to acquire
Dutch peer TNT TNTE.AS (notified July /deadline extended to
Jan. 13 from Dec. 8 after the companies asked for more time)
JAN 18
-- South African paper maker Mondi MNDJ.J MNDI.L to
acquire some assets from portfolio company Walki (notified July
29/deadline extended to Jan. 18 from Sept. 2 after the European
Commission opened an in-depth investigation)
FEB 10
-- U.S. office supplier Staples SPLS.O to acquire U.S.
rival Office Depot ODP.O (notified Aug. 21/deadline extended
to Feb. 10 from Sept. 25 after the European Commission opened an
in-depth investigation)
MARCH 3
-- Cable telecoms company Liberty Global's LBTYA.O Belgian
subsidiary Telenet TNET.BR to buy mobile network operator Base
from Dutch group KPN KPN.AS (notified Aug. 17/deadline
extended for the fourth time to March 3 from Feb. 18)
SUSPENDED
-- Oilfield services provider Halliburton (N:HAL) HAL.N to buy
rival Baker Hughes (N:BHI) BHI.N in a stock and cash transaction
(notified July 23/deadline suspended after the companies
provided insufficient information)
-- 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.