EU mergers and takeovers (Nov 26)

BRUSSELS, Nov 26 (Reuters) - 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

None

EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES

-- U.S. office supplier Staples to acquire U.S. rival Office Depot (notified Aug. 21/deadline extended for the third time to March 9 from March 2 after the companies asked for more time)

FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE

DEC 1

-- Swiss chemicals company Ineos to acquire UK North Sea gas fields from the DEA Group (notified Oct. 26/deadline Dec. 1/simplified)

DEC 2

-- Belgian chemical group Solvay to acquire U.S. peer Cytec (notified Oct. 13/deadline Dec. 2/commitments offered on Nov. 11)

DEC 7

-- U.S. fertiliser maker CF Industries Holdings to acquire OCI NV's North American and European plants (notified Oct. 30/deadline Dec. 7)

-- Enel Green Power and asset management company F2I to set up a joint venture (notified Oct. 30/deadline Dec. 7)

-- German carmaker BMW and heating and refrigeration systems maker Viessmann to set up Digital Energy Solutions GmbH (notified Oct. 30/deadline Dec. 7/simplified)

-- Investment firm Oaktree Capital Group, Swedish builder Skanska and hotel operator Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide to acquire Polish hotel operator Hotel Atrium (notified Oct. 30/deadline Dec. 7/simplified)

DEC 8

-- Swedish state utility Vattenfall and GDF Suez Energie Deutschland AG to to set up a consortium (notified Nov. 3/deadline Dec. 8)

-- U.S. conglomerate Koch Industries and BDT Capital Partners to acquire joint control of U.S. lighting maker Truck-Lite (notified Nov. 3/deadline Dec. 8/simplified)

DEC 9

-- Austrian home improvement chain OBI to acquire some retail sites from Austrian peer BauMax (notified Nov. 4/deadline Dec. 9)

DEC 10

-- German dairy producer DMK Deutsches Milchkontor GmbH to acquire Dutch cheese producer DOC Kaas B.V. (notified Nov. 5/deadline Dec. 10)

-- Spanish bank Banco Santander and private equity firm Pai Partners to jointly control Grupo Konectanet (notified Nov. 5/deadline Dec. 10/simplified)

DEC 11

-- Private equity firm KKR to acquire Swiss-based vending machine operator Selecta (notified Nov. 6/deadline Dec. 11/simplified)

-- Private equity firm LetterOne Holdings to acquire German energy company E.ON's oil and gas assets in the Norwegian North Sea (notified Nov. 6/deadline Dec. 11/simplified)

-- Trading company Gunvor Group to acquire refinery operator Kuwait Petroleum Europoort (notified Nov. 6/deadline Dec. 11/simplified)

-- Swiss Re to acquire Guardian Financial Services (notified Nov. 6/deadline Dec. 11/simplified)

-- UK insurer Aviva and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board to set up a property joint venture (notified Nov. 6/deadline Dec. 11/simplified)

DEC 12

-- Canadian auto parts maker Linamar to acquire French peer Montupet (notified Nov. 6/deadline Dec. 12)

DEC 14

-- French bank Caisse des Depots, Abu Dhabi-based investment and development firm Mubadala Development Co and Vivalto Bel to jointly acquire French private health club operator Group Vivalto Sante (notified Nov. 9/deadline Dec. 14)

DEC 16

-- Private equity firm Vista Equity Partners to acquire technology company Solera Holdings Inc (notified Nov. 11/deadline Dec. 16)

-- Commodity trader Trafigura to acquire de facto sole control of Belgian zinc producer Nyrstar (notified Nov. 11/Dec. 16)

DEC 17

-- Germany's Bertelman plans to buy remaining 25.1 percent stake in printing group Privonis from Axel Springer . (notified Nov. 12/ deadline Dec. 17)

-- France's Michelin and Fives plan joint venture in metal 3D printing (notified Nov. 12/ deadline Dec. 17/simplified)

-- The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (Omers) to buy out environment and social issues consultant ERM with the Alberta Investment Management Corp as a co-investor (notified Nov. 12/ deadline Dec. 17/simplified)

-- Canadian car parts supplier Magna International to acquire German automotive transmission systems maker Getrag (notified Nov. 12/deadline Dec. 17)

DEC 18

-- AXA and Danish public pension fund ATP plan to acquire control of two hotels jointly with Club Quarters (notified Nov. 13/ deadline Dec. 18/simplified)

DEC 21

-- Finnish stainless steel maker Outokumpu to acquire shares in Germany's Hernandez Edelstahl (notified Nov. 16/deadline Dec. 21)

-- EQT Services to acquire 75 percent of Top-Toy, a toy retailer in the Nordic Countries and Germany (notified Nov. 16/deadline Dec. 21/simplified)

DEC 23

-- Transgourmet, a unit of Switzerland's Coop, 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 (notified Nov. 18/deadline Dec. 23)

JAN 4

-- MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc to buy Amlin PLC, an underwriter in the Lloyd's of London specialist insurance market (notified Nov. 19/deadline Jan 4/simplified)

JAN 6

-- Private equity firm Ratos AB and Finland's Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company to jointly acquire joint venture Serena Properties AB (notified Nov. 23/deadline Jan. 6/simplified)

JAN 13

-- U.S. packages delivery company FedEx to acquire Dutch peer TNT (notified July /deadline extended to Jan. 13 from Dec. 8 after the companies asked for more time)

JAN 18

-- South African paper maker Mondi to acquire some assets from portfolio company Walki (notified July 29/deadline extended to Jan. 18 from Sept. 2 after the European Commission opened an in-depth investigation)

JAN 22

-- U.S. drinks can maker Ball Corp to acquire British rival Rexam Plc (notified June 15/deadline extended for the third time to Jan 22 from Dec. 23 after companies submitted commitments)

MARCH 3

-- Cable telecoms company Liberty Global's Belgian subsidiary Telenet to buy mobile network operator Base from Dutch group KPN (notified Aug. 17/deadline extended to March 17 from March 3)

APRIL 18

-- Hutchison Whampoa to acquire Telefonica's 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

-- Oilfield services provider Halliburton to buy rival Baker Hughes in a stock and cash transaction (notified July 23/deadline suspended after the companies provided insufficient information)

-- 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.

(Compiled by Foo Yun Chee and Philip Blenkinsop)

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