EU mergers and takeovers (May 29)
BRUSSELS, May 29 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process:
APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS
-- German power grid makers Stadtwerke Olching and Bayernwerk Net to set up two joint ventures (approved May 28)
NEW LISTINGS
-- British bank HSBC and U.S. payment technology services provider Global Payments to set up a joint venture in Mexico (notified May 28/deadline July 2/simplified)
-- Japan's Mitsubishi Corp and investment company Arjun Infrastructure Partners to acquire joint control of British services company South Staffordshire plc (notified May 14/deadline June 19/simplified)
EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES
None
FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE
MAY 30
-- U.S. cable company Liberty Global to acquire Dutch peer Ziggo (notified April 4/deadline extended to May 30 from May 15 after Liberty Global offered concessions)
JUNE 1
-- Swiss engineering company ABB to acquire General Electric's industrial solutions business (notified April 20/deadline June 1)
JUNE 8
-- Private equity firm One Equity Partners to acquire packaging company Walki Holding (notified April 27/deadline June 8/simplified)
JUNE 11
-- Investment firm HPS Investment Partners and Madison Dearborn Partners to acquire joint control of UK insurance broker Capita Specialist Insurance Soluions Ld (notified April 30/deadline June 11/simplified)
-- U.S. insurer American International Group to acquire Bermuda-based reinsurer Validus Holdings Ltd (notified April 30/deadline June 11/simplified)
JUNE 12
-- South African chemicals company Tronox to acquire the titanium dioxide business of Cristal, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Tasnee (notified Nov. 15/deadline extended to June 12 from June 7)
-- Deutsche Telekom to acquire Swedish peer Tele2's Dutch unit and merge it with its Dutch business T-Mobile Nederland (notified May 2/deadline June 12)
JUNE 13
-- Private equity firm Rhone Capital LLC and founders of swimming pool equipment maker Fluidra to acquire joint control of the merged Fluidra and its peer Zodiac Holdco (notified May 3/deadline June 13)
JUNE 14
-- Private equity funds Altor Funds to acquire Swedish packaging company Trioplast Idustrier (notified May 4/deadline June 14/simplified)
-- Private equity firm AEA Investors and investment firm British Columbia Investment Management Corp to acquire joint control of window coverings maker SIWF Holdings Inc (Springs) (notified May 4/deadline June 14/simplified)
-- Private equity firm Platinum Equity to acquire U.S. pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson's blood glucose monitoring business LifeScan (notified May 4/deadline June 14/simplified)
-- U.S. real estate investment company Kennedy Wilson and French insurer Axa to set up a joint venture (notified May 4/deadline June 14/simplified)
JUNE 15
-- U.S. tyre maker Goodyear and Japanese peer Bridgestone to acquire joint control of joint venture Tirehub, which will combine the U.S. tyre wholesale distribution businesses of both companies (notified May 7/deadline June 15/simplified)
-- Finnish utility Fortum to acquire a controlling stake in German peer Uniper from German energy company E.ON (notified May 7/deadline June 15)
-- U.S. cable operator Comcast's to acquire British pay-TV company Sky (notified May 7/deadline June 15)
JUNE 18
-- Private equity firms HG Capital and TA Associates to acquire joint control of software company Access Group, which is now solely controlled by TA (notified May 8/deadline June 18/simplified)
JUNE 19
-- Canadian private equity firm Onex and U.S. investment fund Vista to acquire joint control of software company Severin Topco (notified May 14/deadline June 19/simplified)
-- Oaktree Capital Group and Spanish real estate holding company Bitarte, which is a unit of Spanish bank Banco de Sabadell, to set up a joint venture (notified May 14/deadline June 19/simplified)
JUNE 20
-- Investment bank Goldman Sachs and private equity firm Antin Infrastructure Partners to jointly acquire British fibre network operator Cityfibre Infrastructure Holdings (notified May 15/deadline June 20/simplified)
-- UK infrastructure management company AMP Capital and Spanish airport infrastructure management company Aena Internacional to jointly acquire Luton Airport (notified May 15/deadline June 20/simplified)
JUNE 25
-- Chinese car parts maker Beijing Automotive Group's subsidiary BHAP and Spanish peer Gestamp Automocion to set up a joint venture (notified May 18/deadline June 25/simplified)
-- U.S. private equity firms HPS Investment Partners and Madison Dearborn Partners to acquire joint control of UK risk management services provider Professional Fee Protection Ltd (notified May 18/deadline June 25/simplified)
-- T-Mobile Austria, which is a unit of German telecoms company Deutsche Telekom, to acquire UPC Austria, which is a subsidiary of cable operator UPC (notified May 18/deadline June 25)
JUNE 26
-- U.S. asset manager Blackstone to acquire Spanish gaming company Cirsa (notified May 22/deadline June 26/simplified)
-- German company BASF to acquire Belgian chemicals company Solvay's worldwide polyamide business (notified May 22/deadline June 26)
-- Austrian construction company Strabag and German peer Max Boegl International to set up a joint venture (notified May 22/deadline June 26/simplified)
-- Private equity firm Permira to acquire tech software company Exclusive Group (notified May 22/deadline June 26/simplified)
-- German companies Thyssen Alfa and Max Aicher Recycling to acquire joint control of Noris Metallrecycling (notified May 22/deadline June 26/simplified)
JUNE 27
-- Private equity firm Permira to acquire Cisco System's video software unit (notified Nat 23/deadline June 27/simplified)
-- U.S. chemicals company Lyondellbasell Industries to acquire U.S. peer A. Schulman (notified May 23/deadline June 27)
-- German travel group TUI to acquire Spain's Hotelbeds Group's destinations services business (notified May 23/deadline June 27/simplified)
JUNE 28
-- French bank BNP Paribas to acquire ABN Amro Bank Luxembourg from Dutch bank ABN Amro (notified May 24/deadline June 28/simplified)
-- Japanese trading company Sumitomo Corp and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group to acquire joint control of Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Co (notified May 24/deadline June 28/simplified)
JUNE 29
-- Israeli drugmaker Teva to acquire sole control of part of U.S. consumer products maker Procter & Gamble's OTC business in which it currently has a minority stake (notified May 25/deadline June 29)
AUG 9
-- German industrial gases group Linde to merge with U.S. peer Praxair (notified Jan. 12/ deadline extended to Aug. 9)
SEPT 4
-- iPhone maker Apple to acquire UK music streaming service Shazam (notified March 14/deadline extended to Sept. 4 from April 23 after the European Commission opened an in-depth investigation)
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)