EU sends TomTom formal objections to Tele Atlas deal

BRUSSELS, March 1 (Reuters) - The European Commission is sending a "statement of objections" to TomTom (TOM2.AS: Quote, Profile, Research) on its plans to purchase its main map supplier, Tele Atlas TA.AS, a source with knowledge of the situation said on Saturday.

TomTom, the world's biggest maker of car navigation devices, had offered some remedies to meet concerns within the European Commisssion that the deal would be anti-competitive.

While TomTom submitted its remedies the formal notice of objections hung in the balance

But in the end, the European Union executive was unable to accept them before the deadline for sending the "statement of objections", which lays out competition problems with the deal. (Reporting by David Lawsky, Editing by Peter Blackburn)