EU mergers and takeovers (March 30)
BRUSSELS, March 30 The following are mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process:
APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS
-- Buyout firm Lone Star to acquire German building materials maker Xella from private equity firm PAI Partners and funds managed by Goldman Sachs' investment arm (approved March 29)
-- UK property developer Segro and Canada's Public Sector Pension Investment Board to jointly acquire three logistics operations in Italy (approved March 29)
-- French real estate asset management company Amundi Immobilier, which is part of French bank Credit Agricole , and French social protection services provider Malakoff Mederic to acquire joint control of German property developer TAS Kapstadtring (approved March 29)
NEW LISTINGS
-- Toyota Industries Europe to acquire Vive, the parent company of Dutch industrial company Vanderlande Industries Holding B.V (notified March 29/deadline May 10/simplified)
EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES
None
FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE
MARCH 31
-- German synthetic rubber maker Lanxess AG to acquire U.S. specialty chemical company Chemtura (notified Feb. 24/deadline March 31)
APRIL 4
-- U.S. computer and printer maker Hewlett Packard to acquire South Korean group Samsung Electronics' printer business (notified Feb. 28/deadline April 4)
APRIL 7
-- Engie Group French banking group BPCE to acquire a 49.9 percent stake in renewable energy companies LCS 4 and LCS (notified March 3/deadline April 7/simplified)
-- Twenty-First Century Fox to acquire the rest of European pay-TV company Sky it does not own (notified March 3/deadline April 7)
APRIL 10
-- Danish container shipping company Maersk to acquire German peer Hamburg Sud (notified Feb. 20/deadline extended to April 10 from March 27 after commitments submitted)
APRIL 11
-- Private equity firm Partners Group to acquire European operator of clinical pathology laboratory operator Cerba Healthcare from PAI Partners (notified March 7/deadline April 11/simplified)
APRIL 12
-- U.S. aircraft component maker Rockwell Collins to acquire aircraft interior maker B/E Aerospace (notified March 8/deadline April 12)
-- U.S. car part supplier Lear to acquire Grupo Antolin's automotive seating business (notified March 8/deadline April 12/simplified)
-- Dutch insurer NN Group to acquire Dutch rival Group Delta Lloyd (notified Feb. 22/deadline extended to April 12 from March 29 after the Dutch competition regulator asked to examine the deal)
-- Chinese state-owned company China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina) to acquire Swiss pesticides and seeds group Syngenta (notified Sept. 23/deadline extended to April 12)
APRIL 18
-- Megatrend European Holdings, which is part of property investment company TH Real Estate, and German insurer Allianz to jointly acquire Finnish company NRF which owns Helsinki-based Kamppi Shopping Centre (notified March 9/deadline April 18)
-- German cement producers Heidelbergcement and Schwenk to jointly acquire Mexican peer Cemex's Croatian unit (notified Sept. 5/deadline extended to April 18 from March 23)
APRIL 19
-- Private equity firm Advent International to acquire biometrics and security business Morpho from French aerospace group Safran (notified Feb. 24/deadline extended to April 19 from March 31 after the companies offered concessions)
-- Private equity firm 3i, Dutch asset manager APG and Danish pension fund ATP to acquire a portfolio of European infrastructure companies from EISER (notified March 10/April 19/simplified)
-- Britain's Rolls-Royce to acquire the remaining 53.1 percent stake in Spanish aircraft engine and components maker Industria de Turbo Propulsores (ITP) (notified Feb. 24/deadline extended to April 19 from March 31 after the companies offered concessions)
APRIL 21
-- French utility Engie to acquire UK property developer Keepmoat Regeneration HOldings (notified March 14/deadline April 21/simplified)
APRIL 24
-- French media company Bollore to acquire control of French company Vivendi (notified March 15/deadline April 24)
-- France's Group Credit Mutuel and French bank BNP Paribas to set up a joint venture (notified March 15/deadline April 24)
-- Bollore Energy, which is part of French group Bollore , and Total Marketing France, which is part of French energy company Total, to set up a joint venture (notified March 15/deadline April 24/simplified)
APRIL 25
-- Private equity firm CVC to acquire Polish retailer Zabka Polska (notified March 16/deadline April 25/simplified)
APRIL 26
-- Investment company Ardian to acquire majority of France's Prosol, an operator of Grand Frais grocery stores (notified March 17/deadline April 26/simplified)
-- Singapore-based tech communications company Broadcom AVGO.O to acquire U.S. networking switches and software maker Brocade (notified March 17/ deadline April 26)
-- Swiss pharmaceutical supplier Lonza Group to acquire U.S. capsule maker Capsugel from private equity firm KKE & Co LP (notified March 17/deadline April 26)
MAY 2
-- Italian energy company Duferco Energia to acquire a business unit from Italian electricity company Energhe S.p.A. (notified March 22/deadline May 2/simplified)
MAY 4
-- Private investment firm KKR & Co. to acquire travel company Travelopia Holdings Ltd and Travelopia USA Inc. (notified March 24/ deadline May 4/simplified)
MAY 5
-- Japan's Panasonic Corporation to acquire Spanish auto parts maker Ficosa International (notified march 27/deadline May 5)
-- Banking services platform Pillarstone to acquire holding company Famar which has activities in the pharmaceutical industry (notified March 27/deadline May 5/simplified)
MAY 8
-- Swiss car importer Emil Frey France to acquire French car parts distributor PGA Group SAS from German carmaker Volkswagen Group (notified March 28/deadline May 8/simplified)
MAY 12
-- U.S. chemicals group Riechhold and Black Diamond Capital to acquire Italian polymers maker Polynt which is owned by Italian private equity group Investindustrial (notified March 17/deadline May 12/commitments offered March 17)
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. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee)