BRUSSELS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under
review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU
merger process:
APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS
-- Steelmaker ArcelorMittal ISPA.AS and a group made up of
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria BBVA.MC , Banco de Sabadell
SABE.MC , Banco Santander SAN.MC , Banco Popular Espanol
POP.MC , Bankia BKIA.MC , Caixabank CABK.MC , Bankinter caja
BKT.MC , Caja Rural de Navarra CARUN.UL and Kutxabank
BKGDT.UL to jointly acquire steel tube maker Grupo Condesa
(approved Jan. 29)
-- Canadian fund CDPQ to acquire 30 percent stake in
Bombardier's BBDb.TO rail transportation business for $1.5
billion (approved Jan. 29)
NEW LISTINGS
-- Private equity firm American Securities to acquire U.S.
industrial product company Blount International BLT.N
(notified Feb. 1/deadline March 7/simplified)
-- Macquarie Capital and Canadian real estate investor
Ivanhoe to jointly acquire real estate developers Logos
Australia and Logos China (notified Jan. 29/deadline March
4/simplified)
-- Italian insurer HDI Assicurazioni, which is a unit of
German insurer Talanx TLXGn.DE , to acquire Italian life
insurer CBA Vita, its subsidiary Sella Life and the remaining 49
percent stake in InChiaro Assicurazioni SpA(notified Jan.
27/deadline March 2/simplified)
EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES
None
FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE
FEB 2
-- U.S. buyout firm Carlyle Group CG.O to buy Dutch
lingerie firm Hunkemoller from its private equity owners
(notified Jan. 8/deadline Feb. 2/simplified)
FEB 4
-- U.S.-based Computer developer Western Digital WDC.O to
acquire outstanding shares of SanDisk SNDK.O , designer of data
storage products (notified on Dec. 22/deadline Feb. 4)
FEB 5
-- Oilfield services company Schlumberger to buy equipment
maker Cameron International (N:CAM) (notified on Dec. 23/deadline Feb.
5)
FEB 8
-- Pension funds USS Nero Limited of Britain, OPSEU Pension
Plan Trust Fund of Canada and PGGM N.V. of the Netherlands to
acquire Spanish infrastructure firm Global Vía Infraestructuras
from Bankia BKT.MC and FCC FCC.MC (notified on Jan.
4/deadline Feb. 8)
FEB 10
-- BP BP.L is reorganising its Ruhr Oel refining joint
venture in Germany, under which it will get 100 percent of the
Gelsenkirchen refinery (notified on Jan. 6/deadline Feb
10/simplified)
FEB 11
-- Dental supply maker DENTSPLY XRAY.O to merge with
Sirona Dental Systems SIRO.O (notified Jan.7/deadline Feb.11)
FEB 12
-- 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 Feb.
12)
-- Swiss-based investment group Cofra Holding AG to acquire
sole control over German company Hans und Ottmar Binder-Group,
which offers trims for vehicles (notified on Jan. 8/deadline
Feb. 12/simplified)
-- U.S. video game maker Activision Blizzard ATVI.O to
acquire Dublin-based "Candy Crush Saga" creator King Digital
Entertainment KING.N (notified on Jan. 8/deadline Feb. 12)
-- British property developer Hammerson and German insurer
Allianz ALVG.DE to jointly acquire a real estate portfolio in
Ireland (notified Jan. 8/deadline Feb. 12/simplified)
FEB 15
-- Goldman Sachs (N:GS) GS.N to acquire UK human resources
software company Northgate NGA from owner KKR KKR.N in a debt
for equity swap (notified Jan. 11/deadline Feb. 15/simplified)
-- British private equity firm Cinven CINV.UL to acquire
Munich Re's MUVGn.DE Italian insurance unit Ergo Italia
(notified Jan. 11/deadline Feb. 15/simplified)
FEB 16
-- Macquarie infrastructure investment fund MEIF4 to buy a
49 percent stake in Italian hydropower company Hydro Dolomiti
Enel from Enel ENEI.MI (notified Jan. 12/deadline Feb.
16/simplified)
-- Beauty products company Coty COTY.N to acquire 43
brands from Procter & Gamble PG.N (notified Jan. 12/deadline
Feb. 16)
FEB 17
-- U.S. buyout firm Carlyle Group CG.O to acquire Italian
customer services group Comdata (notified Jan. 13/deadline Feb.
17/simplified)
-- U.S. buyout firm Carlyle Group CG.O to acquire Italian
customer services group Comdata (notified Jan. 13/deadline Feb.
17/simplified)
FEB 18
-- McKesson (N:MCK) MCK.N to acquire certain businesses, notably
pharmaceutical wholesaling in UK and Ireland, from UDG
Healthcare UDG.L (notified Jan. 14/deadline Feb. 18)
FEB 22
-- British private equity firm Cinven CINV.UL to acquire
British shoe company Kurt Geiger (notified Jan. 18/deadline Feb.
22/simplified)
FEB 23
-- Sanofi SASY.PA and Google GOOGL.O to jointly set up a
joint venture for diabetes treatment (notified Jan. 19/deadline
Feb. 23)
FEB 24
-- Private equity firm PAI Partners to acquire French hotel
operator B&B Hotels (notified Jan. 20/deadline Feb.
24/simplified)
-- Sphinx Investment Pte Ltd and CVC Capital Partners
[CVC.UL ]to jointly acquire British motor services company RAC
(notified Jan. 20/deadline Feb. 24/simplified)
FEB 25
-- Israeli drugmaker Teva TEVA.TA to acquire U.S. peer
Allergan's AGN.N generics drugs business (notified Jan.
21/deadline Feb. 25)
FEB 26
-- British supermarket J Sainsbury (OTC:JSAIY) SBRY.L , Dansk
Supermarket A/S and Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc MRW.L to
acquire a grocery store (notified Jan. 22/deadline Feb.
26/simplified)
-- German food company Tonnies to acquire Danish peer Tican
(notified Jan. 22/deadline Feb. 26)
FEB 29
-- U.S. computer maker Dell Inc to acquire data storage
company EMC Corp (N:EMC) EMC.N (notified Jan. 25/deadline Feb. 29)
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 to March 17 from March 3)
MARCH 9
-- U.S. office supplier Staples SPLS.O to acquire U.S.
rival Office Depot ODP.O (notified Aug. 21/deadline extended
for the third time to March 9 from March 2 after the companies
asked for more time)
APRIL 22
-- Hutchison Whampoa 0001.HK to acquire Telefonica's
TEF.MC O2 UK subsidiary (notified Sept. 11/deadline extended
for the fifth time to April 22 from April 18)
MAY 26
-- Oilfield services provider Halliburton (N:HAL) HAL.N to buy
rival Baker Hughes BHI.N in a stock and cash transaction
(notified Nov. 27/deadline extended to May 26 from Jan. 12 after
the European Commission opened an in-depth investigation)
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.