EU regulators approve 17-billion-euro Atlantia, Abertis tie-up

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU antitrust authorities cleared on Friday Italian toll-road operator Atlantia's (ATL.MI) 17-billion-euro (15.11 billion pounds) bid for Spanish peer Abertis (ABE.MC) without demanding conditions.

The European Commission said the deal, which would create the world's largest toll-road operator, would not hurt competition, confirming a Reuters story on Oct. 10.

"We can approve the transaction because our analysis under EU merger control found that the European markets for motorway concessions will remain competitive," European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Robert-Jan Bartunek)