BRUSSELS, Oct 3 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process:
APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS
-- Rail logistics companies Comsa Rail Transport, Naviland Cargo and Grupo Logistico Sese to set up a Spanish joint venture (approved Oct. 3)
NEW LISTINGS
-- Commodities trader Glencore to acquire miner Xstrata (notified Oct. 2/deadline Nov. 8)
EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES None FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE OCT 5
-- U.S. drugmaker Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc to buy Swiss peer Actavis Group (notified Aug. 31/deadline Oct. 5)
OCT 11
-- Private equity firms Carlyle and BC Partners to acquire U.S. industrial pumps maker Hamilton Sundstrand Industrial which is owned by United Technologies Corp (notified Sept. 6/deadline Oct. 11/simplified)
OCT 12
-- Private equity firm Carlyle Group LP to buy photo agency Getty Images Inc from private equity firm Hellman & Friedman LLC (notified Sept. 7/deadline Oct. 12/simplified)
-- U.S. technology distributor Ingram Micro Inc to acquire rival BrightPoint Inc (notified Sept. 7/deadline Oct. 12)
OCT 15
-- Austrian engineer Andritz to purchase German peer Schuler (notified Sept. 10/deadline Oct. 15)
OCT 22 -- OAO VTB Bank and Corporate Commercial Bank
to acquire Bulgarian mobile operator Bulgarian Telecommunications Co (BTC) (notified Sept. 17/deadline Oct. 22/simplified)
OCT 24
-- French agricultural products producer Vivescia to acquire miller Atrixo (notified Sept. 19/deadline Oct. 24/simplified)
OCT 26
-- U.S. fund Brookfield Infrastructure to buy a stake in Spanish toll road operator Abertis as part of a joint deal to acquire a stake in OHL's highway assets in Brazil (notified Sept. 21/deadline Oct. 26/simplified)
OCT 29
-- Belgian insurer Ageas to acquire the British non-life insurance busienss of French peer Groupama (notified Sept. 24/deadline Oct. 29/simplified)
OCT 30 -- Investment firm Carlyle Group LP to buy Dupont's
car paint business (notified Sept. 25/deadline Oct. 30/simplified)
-- Private equity firm Triton to purchase European Directories (notified Sept. 25/deadline Oct. 30/simplified)
-- Private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice to acquire a majority stake in the decorative surfaces unit owned by Illinois Tool Works Inc (notified Sept. 25/deadline Oct. 30/simplified)
OCT 31
-- German car parts supplier Continental AG to cooperate with South Korean SK Innovation in lithium-ion battery technology for electric cars (notified Sept. 26/deadline Oct. 31/simplified)
NOV 5
-- Private equity firm Sun Capital Partners to acquire British drinks maker Rexam's cosmetics, toiletries and household care business (notified Sept. 27/deadline Nov. 5)
NOV 16 -- Finnish group Outokumpu to acquire German group ThyssenKrupp's Inoxum stainless steel unit (notified April 10/deadline extended for the third time to Nov. 16 from Oct. 24 after Outokumpu offered commitments) NOV 30
-- Hong Kong's Hutchison 3G, which is part of Hutchison Whampoa , to acquire telecoms operator Orange Austria from France Telecom (notified May 7/deadline extended for the third time to Nov. 30 from Nov. 27 to allow a market test of Hutchison 3G's concessions)
JAN 15 -- U.S. mail delivery company United Parcel Service Inc
to acquire Dutch peer TNT Express (notified June 15/deadline extended for the fourth time to Jan. 15 from Dec. 20 after the European Commission asked for more time)
FEB 6
-- Ryanair to acquire Aer Lingus (notified July 24/deadline extended for the second time to Feb. 6 from Jan. 14)
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.
(Editing by Foo Yun Chee)
((brussels.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com)(+32-2-287-6830))
Keywords: EU MERGERS/TAKEOVERS