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EU mergers and takeovers (Dec 12)

Reuters

BRUSSELS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process:

APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS

-- Private equity firm 3i to acquire Diamond Holding GmbH from German jewellery retailer Group Christ Juweliere und Unrmacher Seit (approved Dec. 12)

-- Yanfeng Automotive Trim Systems, a subsidiary of China's biggest automaker SAIC Motor Corp., to acquire Johnson Control's auto interiors business (approved Dec. 12)

NEW LISTINGS

-- Malaysian palm oil producer Sime Darby to acquire London-listed company New Britain Palm Oil (notified Oct. 31/deadline Jan. 26)

EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES

None

FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE

DEC 12

-- Privately-held Czech airline Travel Service to take a 34 percent stake in national carrier Czech Airlines (notified Nov. 14/deadline Dec. 12)

DEC 15

-- Oil major BP to acquire jet fuel business Statoil Fuel and Retail Aviation (notified Oct. 27/deadline extended to Dec. 15 from Dec. 1 after the companies offered concessions)

-- Mondelez International Inc and competitor D.E Master Blenders to merge their coffee businesses in new company called Jacobs Douwe Egberts (notified Oct. 27/deadline extended to Dec. 15 from Dec. 1 after the companies offered concessions)

-- France's Lafarge and Swiss peer Holcim to merge (notified with commitments on Oct. 27/deadline Dec. 15)

DEC 19

-- Czech state-owned holding company Cesky Aeroholding and privately-owned low-cost Czech carrier Travel Service to jointly acquire Czech Airlines (notified Nov. 14/deadline Dec. 19)

-- Private equity firm EQT to acquire German engineering groups Siemens's hearing-aids business (notified Nov. 14/deadline Dec. 19/simplified)

-- CCMP Capital to acquire 47 percent stake in PQ Corp from Carlyle Group (notified Nov. 14/deadline Dec. 19/simplified)

DEC 23

-- U.S. healthcare information company IMS Health to acquire certain businesses from French healthcare software provider Cegedim (notified Nov. 4/deadline extended to Dec. 23 from Dec. 9 after the companies offered commitments)

-- U.S. company IBM to take over German airline Lufthansa's information technology infrastructure services division and staff for 1 billion euros (notified Nov. 18/deadline Dec. 23)

JAN 5

-- Norwegian telecoms firm Telenor to form a joint venture with media company Schibsted, South Africa's Naspers and Singapore Press Holdings (notified Nov. 19/deadline Jan. 5/simplified)

JAN 6

-- French holding company Eurazeo and Groupe Credit Agricole to jointly acquire two building complexes SCI Lafayette and SCI Stratege (notified Nov. 20/deadline Jan. 6/simplified)

-- Hong Kong conglomerate Cheung Kong to form joint venture with Mitsubishi Corp's leasing arm MC Aviation Partners (notified Nov. 20/deadline Jan. 6/simplified)

JAN 7

-- Brazilian juice maker Grupo Cutrale and investment firm Safra Group to jointly acquire U.S. banana producer Chiquita (notified Nov. 21/deadline Jan. 7/simplified)

JAN 8

-- Dutch investment firm SHV to acquire Dutch animal feed and nutrition company Nutreco (notified Nov. 24/deadline Jan. 8/simplified)

-- Norwegian media group Schibsted and Norwegian telecoms operator Telenor to set up a joint venture(notified Nov. 25/deadline Jan. 8/simplified)

-- Investment firm Apollo Management to acquire Italian insurer Carige (notified Nov. 24/deadline Jan. 8/simplified)

JAN 12

-- China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) and Finnish industrial engine maker Wartsila to set up a joint venture (notified Nov. 26/deadline Jan. 12/simplified)

JAN 13

-- Wood products retailer Oji Holdings and petroleum products retailer Itochu Enex Co. Ltd to set up two joint ventures in Japan (notified Nov. 27/deadline Jan. 13/simplified)

JAN 14

-- Swiss drugmaker Novartis to acquire British peer GlaxoSmithKline's oncology products (notified Nov. 28/deadline Jan. 14)

-- British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline to acquire Novartis' vaccines business, excluding Flu, and the settting up of a consumer healthcare joint venture (notified Nov. 28/deadline Jan. 14)

-- Generic drugmaker Mylan Inc to purchase Abbot Laboratories' specialty and branded generics business outside the United States (notified Nov. 28/deadline Jan. 14)

-- PRS for Music Ltd (PRSfM), Foreningen Svenska Tonsattares Internationella Mysikbyra (Stim) and Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte (Gema) to set up a joint venture to administer mechanical and performing rights (notified Nov. 28/deadline Jan. 14)

-- Czech energy group Energeticky a Prumyslovy Holding (EPH) to acquire the Eggborough British coal-fired power plant from Eggborough Power Ltd (notified Nov. 28/deadline Jan. 14/simplified)

-- Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners to acquire Dutch cable and wires producer Betafence Holding NV (notified Nov. 28/deadline Jan. 14/simplified)

JAN 20

-- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Corp to transform their joint venture MHI Compressor International Corp to a full function joint venture (Dec. 4/deadline Jan. 20/simplified)

FEB 5

-- Belgian telecoms group Telenet to acquire 50 percent stake in Belgian broadcasting company De Vijver Media (notified Aug. 18/deadline extended for the second time to March 5 from Feb. 5)

MARCH 5

-- Belgian telecoms group Telenet, which is a subsidiary of U.S. cable group Liberty Global, to acquire 50 percent stake in Belgian broadcasting company De Vijver Media (notified Aug. 18/deadline extended for the second time to March 5 from Feb. 5/companies submitted concessions on Nov. 24)

APRIL 22

-- SOCAR, Azerbaijan's state energy company, to buy stakes in Greek natural gas grid operator DESFA from Greek natural gas utility DEPA (notified Oct. 1/deadline extended for the second time to April 22 from March 23)

APRIL 24

-- French telecoms operator Orange to acquire Spanish provider Jazztel (notified Oct. 16/deadline extended to April 24 from Dec. 4 after the Commission opened an in-depth probe)

SUSPENDED

-- U.S. orthopaedic products maker Zimmer Holdings to acquire rival Biomet Inc (notified Aug. 29/deadline suspended from Dec. 2, 2014)

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)