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The following are mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process:

APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS

None

NEW LISTINGS

-- French insurer CNP Assurances Swiss Life France (notified April 24/deadline June 5/simplified)

-- German property services provider RGM and builder Alpine Bau to acquire joint control of property developer BIP (notified April 23/deadline June 4/simplified)

EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES

None

FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE

APRIL 30

-- CVC Capital Partners to acquire Nordic construction products and machinery distributor Ahlsell from Cinven and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners (notified March 21/deadline April 30)

MAY 2

-- Infrastructure fund Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) to acquire a stake in the Transitgas pipeline from Belgian gas transport company Fluxys (notified March 22/deadline May 2/simplified)

MAY 3

-- Dutch pension fund PGGM to acquire British student housing group University Partnerships Programme from Barclays Capital (notified March 23/deadline May 3/simplified)

MAY 4

-- Austrian brickmaker Wienerberger to acquire the remaining 50 percent share in plastic pipe maker Pipelife International from Belgian chemicals group Solvay (notified March 26/deadline May 4/simplified)

-- Scholz Austria to acquire joint control of waste management company Asaler Familienholding GmbH (notified March 26/deadline May 4/simplified)

-- Reitan Servicehandel to acquire Finnish kiosk operator R-Kioski, media distributors UAB Impress Teva and OU Lehepunkt (notified March 26/deadline May 4/simplified)

-- Private equity firms Towerbrook, York Global Finance and Apollo VII to acquire joint control of roofing products maker Monier (notified March 26/deadline May 4/simplified)

MAY 7

-- Dutch retailer Ahold to acquire Dutch non-food online retailer Bol.com from Cyrte Investments and NPM Capital(notified March 27/deadline May 7)

MAY 8

-- U.S. cereal company Kellogg Co to acquire Pringles potato chips from U.S. household products maker Procter & Gamble Co (notified March 28/deadline May 8/simplified)

-- British packaging company DS Smith to acquire the recyclyed packaging operations of Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA) (notified March 28/deadline May 8 )

MAY 10

-- Dong Energy and Boston Holdings to set up a wind park joint venture (notified March 29/deadline May 10)

-- French power utility EDF to acquire control of Italian utility Edison (notified March 29/deadline May 10)

MAY 11

-- Swiss engineering group ABB to acquire U.S. electrical components maker Thomas Betts (notified March 30/deadline May 11/simplified)

-- French dairy product group Lactalis to acquire Swedish dairy cooperative Skanemejerier (notified March 30/deadline May 11)

May 14

-- Miner Rio Tinto to acquire sole control of miner Richards Bay Minerals (notified April 2/deadline May 14/simplified)

-- Irish investment fund ESB NM and oil group BP to acquire joint control of British start-up Heliex Power Ltd (notified April 2/deadline May 14/simplified)

-- Swedish group Freudenberg & Co and Swedish car parts company Trelleborg to set up a car parts joint venture (notified April 2/deadline May 14)

MAY 16

-- Royal Bank of Canada to acquire British fund services company RBC Dexia Investor Services Ltd (notified April 4/deadline May 16/simplified)

MAY 21

-- Finnish group Outokumpu to acquire German group ThyssenKrupp's Inoxum stainless steel unit (notified April 10/deadline May 21)

MAY 22

-- German sugar company Suedzucker to acquire a 25 percent stake in British commodities trading company ED&F Man (notified Sept. 19/deadline extended for the third time to May 22 from April 25 after Suedzucker offered more commitments)

MAY 25

-- Eastman Chemical Co. to acquire chemicals firm Solutia Inc. (notified April 16/deadline May 25)

MAY 29

-- Belgian-based AGC Glass Europe to acquire majority stake in Germany's Interpane International Glas (notified April 17/deadline May 29)

JUNE 4

-- Mexican industrial conglomerate Mexichem to acquire Dutch peer Wavin (notified April 23/deadline June 4)

-- Compagnia Italiana di Navigazione to acquire Italian state-owned ferry group Tirrenia (notified Nov. 20/deadline extended to June 4 from Jan. 18 after the Commission opens an in-depth probe)

AUG 9

-- U.S. conglomerate United Technologies Corp to acquire U.S. aircraft components maker Goodrich (notified Feb. 20/deadline extended to Aug. 9 from March 26 after the Commission opens an-depth investigation)

AUG 27

-- Telefonica UK and Vodafone UK to set up a joint venture providing mobile commerce services (notified March 6/deadline extended to Aug. 27 from April 13 after the Commnission opens an in-depth investigation)

SEPT 6

-- Vivendi's Universal Music Group to buy British record label EMI's recorded music unit from Citigroup Inc (notified Feb. 17/deadline extended for the second time to Sept. 6 from Aug. 8 after the Commission asked for more time)

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.

Tags

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