BRUSSELS, Feb 16 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process:
APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS
-- Private equity firm PAI and Canadian institutional investor British Columbia Investment Management Corp to jointly acquire fruit juice maker Refresco (notified Jan. 23/approved Feb. 15/simplified)
-- Anglo-Dutch oil group Royal Dutch Shell plc RDSa.L to acquire retail energy supplier Impello Limited (notified Jan. 22/approved Feb. 16/simplified)
-- Baking products maker the Oetker-Gruppe to acquire fwestBelgian bakery goods supplier Diversi Foods (notified Jan. 22/approved Feb. 16/simplified)
-- Private equity firm Bain Capital to acquire Italian paper company Fedrigoni (notified Jan. 24/approved Feb. 16/simplified)
NEW LISTINGS
- Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec and IFM Investors to take joint control of Mexican toll road operator Conmex. (notified Feb. 12/ deadline March 19/ simplified)
- Apollo Capital Management to take full control of German apparel maker CBR Fashion Holding. (notified Jan. 13/ deadline March 20/ simplified)
- Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) and Centerbridge Partners to acquire joint control of Polish real estate developer Robyg. (notified Jan. 14/ deadline March 21/ simplified)
- Swiss Life and CNP Assurances to jointly acquire oil terminal operator Pisto. (notified Jan. 14/ deadline March 21/ simplified)
- Axion and Enegas to set up joint venture. (notified Jan. 14/ deadline March 21/ simplified)
EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES
-- German industrial gases group Linde LING.DE to merge with U.S. peer Praxair (NYSE:PX) PX.N (notified Jan. 12/ deadline extended to July 4 from Feb. 16 as Commission started in-depth investigation U.S. specialty material company Celanese CE.N and private equity firm Blackstone (NYSE:BX) BX.N to combine their cellulose acetate tow units under a new joint venture (notified Sept. 9/deadline extended to April 5 from March 26)
FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE
FEB 21
-- U.S. car parts supplier Key Safety Systems, which is a unit of China's Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp 600699.SS , to acquire Japanese car parts maker Takata Corp (notified Jan. 17/deadline Feb. 21)
FEB 28
-- Spanish energy company Repsol REP.MC and South Korean carmaker KIA Motors 000270.KS to set up a car-sharing joint venture (notified Jan. 24/deadline Feb. 28/simplified)
-- Chinese car parts maker Hasco and Canadian peer Magna MG.TO to set up a joint venture (notified Jan. 24/deadline Feb. 28/simplified)
MARCH 2
-- Private equity firm TA Associates to aquire a minority stake in software company Flexera Holdings (notified Jan. 26/deadline March 2/simplified)
-- Insurer ReAssure, which is part of Swiss Re SRENH.S , to acquire UK insurer Legal & General Group's LGEN.L Actaeon insurance business (notified Jan. 26/deadline March 2/simplified)
MARCH 5
-- French private equity firm Pai Partners to acquire French packaging group Albea (notified Jan. 29/deadline March 5/simplified)
MARCH 6
-- Australian chemicals maker Nufarm NUF.AX to acquire European crop protection product portfolio from Adama Agricultural Solutions Ltd ADAM.N and Syngenta (notified Jan. 30/deadline March 6)
MARCH 8
-- Michelin (PA:MICP) North America and Sumitomo Corp of America SUMTME.UL to start a joint venture (notified Feb. 1/deadline March 8/simplified)
MARCH 9
-- Chemicals company Quaker Chemical Corp KWR.N and Hinduja Group's Houghton Internatioal HGINL.UL to merge (notified Feb. 2/deadline March 9)
-- Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI and Canadian training centre operator CAE International Holdings Ltd to set up a joint venture (notified Feb. 2/deadline March 9/simplified)
-- British broadcaster Channel 4 to acquire joint control of European Broadcaster Exchange, which is jointly owned by Germany's ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE PSMGn.DE , Television Francaise TFFP.PA , Mediaset S.p.A MS.MI and Spanish TV networks (notified Feb. 2/deadline March 9/simplified)
MARCH 12
-- France's Oney Bank S.A. which is part of Auchan Holding S.A. AUCH.UL , and web platform 4Finance to set up a joint venture (notified Feb. 5/deadline March 12/simplified)
MARCH 14
-- Private equity firm Lone Star to acquire Nordic building materials distributor Stark from British company Ferguson FERG.L (notified Feb. 7/deadline March 14)
MARCH 15
-- Canada's Brookfield Business Partners BBU_u.TO to acquire a controlling stake in plastic packaging maker Schoeller Allibert from an indirect subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) JPM.N (notified Feb. 8/deadline March 15/simplified)
MARCH 16
-- Steelmaker ArcelorMittal MT.AS to acquire a stake in Italian auto parts and steel products maker Centro Servizi Metalli S.p.A. (notified Feb. 9/deadline March 16/simplified)
-- British turnaround specialist Melrose Industries MRON.L to acquire British engineering company GKN GKN.L (notified Feb. 9/deadline March 16/simplified)
-- U.S. packaging company Crown Holdings Inc CCK.N to acquire U.S. peer Signode Industrial Group Holdings Ltd SIGL.UL (notified Feb. 9/deadline March 16/simplified)
-- Canada's Brookfield Business Partners BBU_u.TO to acquire U.S. nuclear plant maker Westinghouse Electric Co LLC from Japan's Toshiba Corp 6502.T (notified Feb. 9/deadline March 16/simplified)
MARCH 19
-- Canadian pension fund Caisse de Depot Et Placement du Quebec to acquire joint control of Hyperion Insurance Group (notified Feb. 12/deadline March 19/simplified)
- Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec and IFM Investors to take joint control of Mexican toll road operator Conmex. (notified Feb. 12/ deadline March 19/ simplified)
MARCH 20
- Apollo Capital Management to take full control of German apparel maker CBR Fashion Holding. (notified Jan. 13/ deadline March 20/ simplified)
MARCH 21
- Goldman Sachs and Centerbridge Partners to acquire joint control of Polish real estate developer Robyg. (notified Jan. 14/ deadline March 21/ simplified)
- Swiss Life and CNP Assurances to jointly acquire oil terminal operator Pisto. (notified Jan. 14/ deadline March 21/ simplified)
- Axion and Enegas to set up joint venture. (notified Jan. 14/ deadline March 21/ simplified)
MARCH 22
-- Italian eyewear maker Luxottica LUX.MI and French lens manufacturer Essilor ESSI.PA to merge (notified Aug. 22/deadline extended to March 22 from March 8)
APRIL 4
-- Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal MT.AS to acquire Italian steel plant (notified Sept. 21/deadline extended to April 4 from March 23 after the companies asked for more time)
APRIL 5
-- German industrial group Bayer BAYGn.DE to acquire U.S. seeds company Monsanto (NYSE:MON) MON.N (notified June 30/deadline extended to April 5 from March 12 after Bayer offered concessions)
-- U.S. specialty material company Celanese CE.N and private equity firm Blackstone BX.N to combine their cellulose acetate tow units under a new joint venture (notified Sept. 9/deadline extended to April 5 from March 26)
MAY 30
-- South African chemicals company Tronox TROX.N to acquire the titanium dioxide business of Cristal, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Tasnee (notified Nov. 15/deadline extended to May 30 from mAY 15)
JULY 4
-- German industrial gases group Linde LING.DE to merge with U.S. peer Praxair PX.N (notified Jan. 12/ deadline extended to July 4 from Feb. 16 after Commission started in-depth investigation [nL8N1Q62O4])
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.