BRUSSELS, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under
review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU
merger process:
APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS
-- Canadian auto parts maker Linamar LNR.TO to acquire
French peer Montupet MNTP.PA (approved Dec. 10)
-- AXA AXAF.PA and Danish public pension fund ATP plan to
acquire control of two hotels jointly with Club Quarters
(approved Dec. 10)
NEW LISTINGS
-- German wind turbine maker Nordex NDXG.DE to acquire
Spanish firm Acciona's ANA.MC wind power business (notified
Dec. 10/deadline Jan. 25/simplified)
EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES
None
FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE
DEC 14
-- French bank Caisse des Depots, Abu Dhabi-based investment
and development firm Mubadala Development Co MUDEV.UL and
Vivalto Bel to jointly acquire French private health club
operator Group Vivalto Sante (notified Nov. 9/deadline Dec. 14)
DEC 16
-- Commodity trader Trafigura to acquire de facto sole
control of Belgian zinc producer Nyrstar NYR.BR (notified Nov.
11/Dec. 16)
DEC 17
-- Germany's Bertelman BTGGg.F plans to buy remaining 25.1
percent stake in printing group Privonis from Axel Springer
SPRGn.DE . (notified Nov. 12/ deadline Dec. 17)
-- France's Michelin MICP.PA and Fives FLINSF.UL plan
joint venture in metal 3D printing (notified Nov. 12/ deadline
Dec. 17/simplified)
-- Canadian car parts supplier Magna International MG.TO
to acquire German automotive transmission systems maker Getrag
(notified Nov. 12/deadline Dec. 17)
DEC 21
-- Finnish stainless steel maker Outokumpu to acquire shares
in Germany's Hernandez Edelstahl (notified Nov. 16/deadline Dec.
21)
DEC 23
-- Honeywell International Inc (N:HON) HON.N to acquire British
engineering company Melrose Industries' MRON.L utility
consumption metering business Elster Group (notified Nov.
4/deadline Dec. 23/commitments submitted on Dec. 2)
-- Transgourmet, a unit of Switzerland's Coop COOPS.UL , to
buy Austria's C+C Pfeiffer, a subsidiary of the Pfeiffer trading
group, as well as to take a 50 percent stake in centralised
purchasing team Top Team (notified Nov. 18/deadline Dec.
23/simplified)
-- Novartis to buy remaining rights to Ofatumumab from
Britain's GlaxoSmithKline GSK.L (notified Nov. 18/deadline
Dec. 23)
JAN 4
-- MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc 8725.T to buy Amlin
PLC AML.L , an underwriter in the Lloyd's of London specialist
insurance market (notified Nov. 19/deadline Jan 4/simplified)
JAN 6
-- Swedish private equity firm Ratos AB RATOb.ST and
Finnish insurer Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company to
jointly acquire Swedish real estate developer Serena Properties
AB (notified Nov. 23/deadline Jan. 6/simplified)
JAN 11
-- Italian state-owned investment fund Fondon Strategico
Italiano to acquire a stake in Italian oil contractor Saipem
SPMI.MI from state-controlled oil company Eni ENI.MI
(notified Nov. 26/deadline Jan. 11/simplified)
-- Japanese trading company Sumitomo Corp 8053.T and
Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp SUMFGI.UL to acquire
joint control of Indonesian motorcyle financing company PT
Summit Oto Finance and Indonesian car financing company PT Oto
Multiartha, which are now solely controlled by Sumitomo Corp
(notified Nov. 26/deadline Jan. 11/simplified)
-- Danish transport and logistics company DSV DSV.CO to
acquire U.S. rival UTi Worldwide UTIW.O (notified Nov.
26/deadline Jan. 11/simplified)
JAN 12
-- U.S. conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway (N:BRKa) BRKa.N to acquire
U.S. aerospace parts maker Precision Castparts (N:PCP) PCP.N (notified
Nov. 27/deadline Jan. 12)
-- French company Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations to
acquire 49.9 percent stakes in three wind and solar power
companies from French wind and solar farm operator La Compagnie
du Vent (notified Nov. 27/deadline Jan. 12/simplified)
-- Oilfield services provider Halliburton (N:HAL) HAL.N to buy
rival Baker Hughes (N:BHI) BHI.N in a stock and cash transaction
(notified Nov. 27/deadline Jan. 12)
-- Private investment company KKCG and Taiwanese technology
company Hon Hai Precision Industry Co 2317.TW , which is also
known as Foxconn, to set up a joint venture in the Czech
Republic (notified Nov. 27/deadline Jan. 12/simplified)
-- Banking group Goldman Sachs (N:GS) and UK charitable foundation
The Wellcome Trust to form a joint venture (notified Nov.
27/deadline Jan. 12/simplified)
-- UK investment firm Intermediate Capital Group and German
investment firm Capiton to jointly acquire German resin products
maker Prefere Resins Holding (notified Nov. 27/deadline Jan.
12/simplified)
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)
-- U.S. private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners and
investment bank Goldman Sachs GS.N to jointly acquire U.S.
facility management company GCA Service Group from Blackstone (N:BX)
Group BX.N (notified Nov. 30/deadline Jan. 13/simplified)
JAN 14
-- Private equity firms Triton and KKR KKR.N to jointly
set up a joint venture (notified Dec. 1/deadline Jan.
14/simplified)
-- TDR Capital investment funds taking joint control of
British fuel station operator Euro Garages (notified Dec.
1/deadline Jan. 14)
JAN 19
-- French IT services firm Atos ATOS.PA to acquire
communications firm Unify (notified Dec 4/deadline Jan.
19/simplified)
-- Saudi Aramco SDABO.UL to acquire Lanxess 's LXSG.DE 50
percent stake in the world's largest synthetic rubber business
(notified Dec 4/deadline Jan. 19/simplified)
-- Panalpina PWTN.S to acquire majority of shares in
Airflo, an airfreight forwarder specialising in
perishables.(notified Dec 4/deadline Jan. 19/simplified)
-- Spanish travel technology company Amadeus AMA.MC to
acquire airline technology services Navitaire which is a
subsidiary of Accenture Plc ACN.N (notified Dec. 4/deadline
Jan. 19)
-- German industrial products maker Freudenberg and Japanese
chemical industry group Toray Industries 3402.T to acquire
join control of industrial material maker Japan Vilene Co
(notified Dec. 4/deadline Jan. 19/simplified)
JAN 20
-- Creation of a joint venture between Lov Group Invest SAS
and De Agostini for the production and distribution of ontent
for television and multimedia platforms (notified Dec 7/deadline
Jan. 20)
JAN 21
-- Lone Star Fund IX to acquire British fuel service station
operator MRH Ltd (notified Dec. 8/deadline Jan. 21/simplified)
JAN 22
-- Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 7011.T to acquire
Japanese forklift maker Unicarriers Holdings (notified Dec.
9/deadline Jan. 22/simplified)
-- U.S. drinks can maker Ball Corp (N:BLL) BLL.N to acquire
British rival Rexam Plc REX.L (notified June 15/deadline
extended for the third time to Jan 22 from Dec. 23 after
companies submitted commitments)
FEB 8
-- South African paper maker Mondi MNDJ.J MNDI.L to
acquire some assets from portfolio company Walki (notified July
29/deadline extended for the second time to Feb. 8 from Jan. 18
after Mondi offered concessions)
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 18
-- Hutchison Whampoa 0001.HK to acquire Telefonica 's
TEF.MC O2 UK subsidiary (notified Sept. 11/deadline extended
for the fourth time to April 18 from March 16 after Hutchison
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.