BRUSSELS, April 17 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process:
— Lenovo Group and Fujitsu to set up a joint venture whereby Lenovo acquires a majority stake in certain assets of Fujitsu’s PC business (approved April 16)
— U.S coatings maker Axalta Coating Systems to acquire wire enamel manufacturer IVA’s European and Chinese operations (notified April 16/deadline May 28)
— U.S. agricultural merchant Archer Daniels Midland and agricultural trading house Cargill to set up a joint venture (notified April 16/deadline May 28/simplified)
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FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE
— iPhone maker Apple to acquire UK music streaming service Shazam (notified March 14/deadline April 23)
— U.S. investment company TA Associates and French investment bank Rothschild to jointly acquire British software company Datix (notified March 14/deadline April 23/simplified)
— Scottish investment company Standardlifeaberdeen, UK oil and gas investment company Neptune and Danish insurer PensionDanmark to acquire joint control of natural gas transport company NGT (notified March 15/deadline April 24/simplified)
— Irish food company Kerry Group to acquire Dutch protein plant products maker Proparent (notified March 19/deadline April 26/simplified)
— Germany’s BASF to acquire businesses from Bayer (notified March 7/deadline extended to April 30 from April 16 after BASF offered concessions)
— UK measuring instruments maker Spectris and Australian investment bank Macquarie Group to set up an Australian joint control Soundwave Holdings (notified March 21/deadline April 30/simplified)
— U.S. auto parts retailer LKQ Corp to acquire German peer Stahlgruber (notified March 9/deadline extended to May 3 from April 18 after the German national competition authority requested to take over the case)
— U.S. aerospace and industrial company United Technologies Corp to acquire avionics maker Rockwell Collins (notified March 12/deadline extended to May 4 from April 19 after UTC offered concessions)
— U.S. wheel parts supplier Accuride, which is controlled by private equity firm Crestview L.L.C., to acquire German peer Metro Wheels (notified March 12/deadline extended to May 4 from April 19 after Accuride submitted concessions)
— Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group to acquire control of Denmark’s Saxo Bank (notified March 28/deadline May 8/simplified)
— Investment advisor Black Diamond Capital Management to acquire car leather maker GST AutoLeather (notified March 28/deadline May 8/simplified)
— Italian cable company Prysmian to acquire U.S. peer General Cable (notified March 28/deadline May 8)
— Belgian metals company Viohalco and Belgian holding company Koramic to set up a joint venture (notified March 28/deadline May 8/simplified)
— Swiss logistics company Panalpina and Dutch Flower Group to acquire joint control of Panalpina’s Dutch perishables business (notified April 3/deadline May 14/simplified)
— German rolling stock and train financing company Mitsui Rail Capital Europe GmBH and Germany’s Siemens to set up a joint venture (notified April 3/deadline May 14/simplified)
— U.S. cable company Liberty Global to acquire Dutch peer Ziggo (notified April 4/deadline May 15)
— British paper company Mondi to acquire Finnish corrugated case materials maker Powerflute (notified April 11/deadline May 23)
— Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal to acquire Italian steel plant (notified Sept. 21/deadline extended to May 23 after ArcelorMittal offered concessions)
— Global asset manager The Carlyle Group to acquire Accolade Wines Holdings Australia and Accolade Wines Holdings Europe (notified April 13/deadline May 25/simplified)
— 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 7)
— German industrial gases group Linde to merge with U.S. peer Praxair (notified Jan. 12/ deadline extended to Aug. 9)
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.
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)