BRUSSELS, March 6 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process:
APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS
-- U.S. packaging company Crown Holdings Inc CCK.N to acquire U.S. peer Signode Industrial Group Holdings Ltd SIGL.UL (approved March 5)
-- Canada's Brookfield Business Partners BBU_u.TO to acquire U.S. nuclear plant maker Westinghouse Electric Co LLCfrom Japan's Toshiba Corp 6502.T (approved March 5)
NEW LISTINGS
-- Private equity firm Equistone Partners Europe to acquire French leisure travel services providers Fram and Karavel (notified March 2/deadline April 11/simplified)
-- Australian investment bank Macquarie Group MQG.AX to acquire Danish telecoms company TDC TDC.CO (notified March1/deadline April 10/simplified)
EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES
None
FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE
MARCH 6
-- Australian chemicals maker Nufarm NUF.AX to acquireEuropean crop protection product portfolio from AdamaAgricultural Solutions Ltd ADAM.N and Syngenta (notified Jan.30/deadline March 6)
MARCH 9
-- British broadcaster Channel 4 to acquire joint control of European Broadcaster Exchange, which is jointly owned byGermany's ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE PSMGn.DE , TelevisionFrancaise TFFP.PA , Mediaset S.p.A MS.MI and Spanish TVnetworks (notified Feb. 2/deadline March 9/simplified)
MARCH 14
-- Private equity firm Lone Star to acquire Nordic buildingmaterials distributor Stark from British company Ferguson FERG.L (notified Feb. 7/deadline March 14)
MARCH 15
-- Canada's Brookfield Business Partners BBU_u.TO toacquire a controlling stake in plastic packaging maker SchoellerAllibert 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 inItalian auto parts and steel products maker Centro ServiziMetalli 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 (notifiedFeb. 9/deadline March 16/simplified)
MARCH 19
-- Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec and IFM Investorsto take joint control of Mexican toll road operator Conmex(notified Feb. 12/ deadline March 19/ simplified)
-- Canadian pension fund Caisse de Depot Et Placement duQuebec to acquire joint control of Hyperion Insurance Group(notified Feb. 12/deadline March 19/simplified)
MARCH 20
-- Apollo Capital Management to take full control of Germanapparel maker CBR Fashion Holding (notified Jan. 13/ deadlineMarch 20/ simplified)
MARCH 21
-- Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) and Centerbridge Partners to acquire jointcontrol of Polish real estate developer Robyg (notified Jan. 14/deadline March 21/ simplified)
-- Swiss Life and CNP Assurances to jointly acquire oilterminal operator Pisto (notified Jan. 14/ deadline March 21/simplified)
-- Spanish telecoms infrastructure provider Axion andSpanish gas transmission operator Enegas to set up a jointventure (notified Jan. 14/ deadline March 21/ simplified)
-- Goldman Sachs GS.N and Centerbridge Partners to acquirejoint control of Polish real estate developer Robyg (notifiedJan. 14/ deadline March 21/ simplified)
MARCH 23
-- Chemicals company Quaker Chemical Corp KWR.N andHinduja Group's Houghton Internatioal HGINL.UL to merge(notified Feb. 2/deadline extended to March 23 from March 9after the companies provided concessions)
-- Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and holdingcompany BHL Holdings Ltd to acquire joint control of BGL(Holdings) Ltd which owns several price comparison websites(notified Feb. 16/deadline March 23/simplified)
-- German steel company ELG Haniel and and Spanish peerIberinox 88 SA to set up a joint venture (notified Feb.16/deadline March 23/simplified)
MARCH 27
-- APMH Invest, which is a subsidiary of Danish shipper APMoeller Maersk MAERSKb.CO , and Mitsui & Co 8031.T to set upa joint venture Maersk Product Tankers (notified Feb.20/deadline March 27/simplified)
-- Marubeni Itochu Steel and Sumitomo Corp 8053.T toacquire joint control of Hiroshima Steel Center Ltd, which is aunit of Marubeni Itochu Steel (notified Feb. 20/deadline March27/simplified)
MARCH 28
-- French private equity firm Ardian to acquire resin makerDRT (notified Feb. 21/deadline March 28/simplified)
-- Diamond Transmission Corp, which is a unit of MitsubishiCorp 8058.T and investment vehicle IIO1, and Infrared CapitalPartners to set up a joint venture (notified Feb. 21/deadlineMarch 28/simplified)
APRIL 3
-- Private equity firm Advent International to acquireFrench telephony products distributor Circet Groupe (notifiedFeb. 22/deadline April 3/simplified)
APRIL 4
-- Swiss luxury goods group Richemont CFR.S to acquiree-commerce portal Yoox Net-A-Porter Group YNAP.MI (notifiedFeb. 23/deadline April 4/simplified)
-- Chinese conglomerate Fosun 0656.HK to acquire Germanpension insurer Pro Bav Pensionskasse (notified Feb. 23/deadlineApril 4/simplified)
-- Austrian company Borealis BESGR.UL , Canada's NovaChemicals and French oil and gas major Total TOTF.PA to set upa joint venture (notified Feb. 23/deadline April 4/simplified)
APRIL 5
-- Private equity firm KKE KKR.N to acquire UK car partsmaker Tekfor (notified Feb. 26/deadline April 5/simplified)
-- U.S. specialty material company Celanese CE.N andprivate equity firm Blackstone (NYSE:BX) BX.N to combine their celluloseacetate tow units under a new joint venture (notified Sept.9/deadline extended to April 5 from March 26)
-- German industrial group Bayer BAYGn.DE to acquire U.S.seeds company Monsanto (NYSE:MON) MON.N (notified June 30/deadlineextended to April 5 from March 12 after Bayer offeredconcessions)
APRIL 6
-- Private equity firm KKR KKR.N to acquire Anglo-Dutchconsumer products group Unilever 's ULVR.L UNc.AS margarineand spreads business (notified Feb. 27/deadline April6/simplified)
APRIL 9
-- U.S. software company IBM (NYSE:IBM) IBM.N and Danish shippingcompany Maersk MAERSKb.CO to set up a joint venture (notifiedFeb. 28/deadline April 9/simplified)
-- Private equity firm Platinum Equity Group to acquire U.S.hotelier Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE:WYN) Corp's WYN.N European vacationrental business (notified Feb. 28/deadline April 9/simplified)
APRIL 11
-- French oil and gas major Total TOTF.PA to acquire partof French gas and power group Engie's ENGIE.PA liquifiednatural gas business (notified March 2/deadline April 11)
APRIL 19
-- Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal MT.AS toacquire Italian steel plant (notified Sept. 21/deadline extendedto April 19 from April 4)
JUNE 7
-- South African chemicals company Tronox TROX.N toacquire the titanium dioxide business of Cristal, a subsidiaryof Saudi Arabia's Tasnee (notified Nov. 15/deadline extended toJune 7)
JULY 18
-- German industrial gases group Linde LING.DE to mergewith U.S. peer Praxair (NYSE:PX) PX.N (notified Jan. 12/ deadlineextended to July 18 from July 4)
GUIDE TO EU MERGER PROCESS
DEADLINES:
The European Commission has 25 working days after a deal isfiled for a first-stage review. It may extend that by 10 workingdays to 35 working days, to consider either a company's proposedremedies or an EU member state's request to handle the case.
Most mergers win approval but occasionally the Commissionopens a detailed second-stage investigation for up to 90additional working days, which it may extend to 105 workingdays.
SIMPLIFIED:
Under the simplified procedure, the Commission announces theclearance of uncontroversial first-stage mergers without givingany reason for its decision. Cases may be reclassified asnon-simplified - that is, ordinary first-stage reviews - untilthey are approved.