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BRUSSELS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The following are mergers underreview by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EUmerger process:
APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS
-- Private equity firms Blackstone and TPG to jointlyacquire British mortgage lender Kensington Group plc (approvedDec. 5)
-- ReAssure to acquire HSBC's pensionsmanufacturing business (approved Dec. 5)
NEW LISTINGS
-- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Corp to transform their joint venture MHI CompressorInternational Corp to a full function joint venture (Dec.4/deadline Jan. 20/simplified)
EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES
None
FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE
DEC 10
-- Santander Consumer Finance, part of Spanish bankSantander, and French car maker Peugeot S.A. (PSA) toset up a series of joint finance companies (notified Nov.5/deadline Dec. 10)
DEC 12
-- U.S. investment management firm Varder Partners toacquire 51 percent of Spanish bank Popular's creditcard business (notified Nov. 14/deadline Dec. 12/simplified)
-- Privately-held Czech airline Travel Service to take a 34percent stake in national carrier Czech Airlines (notified Nov.14/deadline Dec. 12
DEC 15
-- Oil major BP to acquire jet fuel business StatoilFuel and Retail Aviation (notified Oct. 27/deadline extended toDec. 15 from Dec. 1 after the companies offered concessions)
-- Mondelez International Inc and competitor D.EMaster Blenders to merge their coffee businesses innew company called Jacobs Douwe Egberts (notified Oct.27/deadline extended to Dec. 15 from Dec. 1 after the companiesoffered concessions)
-- Aerospace group Airbus and Singapore Airlines to jointly acquire Airbus Asia Training Centre(notified Nov. 10/deadline Dec. 15/simplified)
-- France's Lafarge and Swiss peer Holcim to merge (notified with commitments on Oct.27/deadline Dec. 15)
DEC 17
-- Private equity firm 3i to acquire Diamond Holding GmbHfrom German jewellery retailer Group Christ Juweliere undUnrmacher Seit (notified Nov. 12/deadline Dec. 17/simplified)
DEC 19
-- Private equity firm CCMP Capital to acquire joint controlof chemicals producer PQ Holdings Inc which is now jointlycontrolled by INEOS and private equity group The Carlyle GroupLP (notified Nov. 14/deadline Dec. 19/simplified)
-- Czech state-owned holding company Cesky Aeroholding andprivately-owned low-cost Czech carrier Travel Service to jointlyacquire Czech Airlines (notified Nov. 14/deadline Dec. 19)
-- Private equity firm EQT to acquire German engineeringgroups Siemens's hearing-aids business (notified Nov.14/deadline Dec. 19/simplified)
-- CCMP Capital to acquire 47 percent stake in PQ Corp fromCarlyle Group (notified Nov. 14/deadline Dec.19/simplified)
-- Yanfeng Automotive Trim Systems, a subsidiary of China'sbiggest automaker SAIC Motor Corp., to acquire Johnson Control's auto interiors business (notified Nov. 14/deadline Dec.19/simplified)
DEC 23
-- U.S. healthcare information company IMS Health toacquire certain businesses from French healthcare softwareprovider Cegedim (notified Nov. 4/deadline extended toDec. 23 from Dec. 9 after the companies offered commitments)
-- U.S. company IBM to take over German airlineLufthansa's information technology infrastructureservices division and staff for 1 billion euros (notified Nov.18/deadline Dec. 23)
JAN 5
-- Norwegian telecoms firm Telenor to form a jointventure with media company Schibsted, South Africa'sNaspers and Singapore Press Holdings (notified Nov. 19/deadline Jan. 5/simplified)
JAN 6
-- French holding company Eurazeo and GroupeCredit Agricole to jointly acquire two buildingcomplexes SCI Lafayette and SCI Stratege (notified Nov.20/deadline Jan. 6/simplified)
-- Hong Kong conglomerate Cheung Kong to formjoint venture with Mitsubishi Corp's leasing arm MCAviation Partners (notified Nov. 20/deadline Jan. 6/simplified)
JAN 7
-- Brazilian juice maker Grupo Cutrale and investment firmSafra 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 feedand nutrition company Nutreco (notified Nov.24/deadline Jan. 8/simplified)
-- Norwegian media group Schibsted and Norwegiantelecoms operator Telenor to set up a jointventure(notified Nov. 25/deadline Jan. 8/simplified)
-- Investment firm Apollo Management to acquire Italianinsurer Carige (notified Nov. 24/deadline Jan. 8/simplified)
JAN 12
-- China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) and Finnishindustrial engine maker Wartsila to set up a jointventure (notified Nov. 26/deadline Jan. 12/simplified)
JAN 13
-- Wood products retailer Oji Holdings andpetroleum products retailer Itochu Enex Co. Ltd to setup two joint ventures in Japan (notified Nov. 27/deadline Jan.13/simplified)
JAN 14
-- Swiss drugmaker Novartis to acquire Britishpeer GlaxoSmithKline's oncology products (notified Nov.28/deadline Jan. 14)
-- British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline to acquireNovartis' vaccines business, excluding Flu, and thesettting up of a consumer healthcare joint venture (notifiedNov. 28/deadline Jan. 14)
-- Generic drugmaker Mylan Inc to purchase AbbotLaboratories' specialty and branded generics business outsidethe United States (notified Nov. 28/deadline Jan. 14)
-- PRS for Music Ltd (PRSfM), Foreningen Svenska TonsattaresInternationella Mysikbyra (Stim) and Gesellschaft fürmusikalische Aufführungs- und mechanischeVervielfältigungsrechte (Gema) to set up a joint venture toadminister 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 fromEggborough Power Ltd (notified Nov. 28/deadline Jan.14/simplified)
-- Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners toacquire Dutch cable and wires producer Betafence Holding NV(notified Nov. 28/deadline Jan. 14/simplified)
FEB 5
-- Belgian telecoms group Telenet to acquire 50percent stake in Belgian broadcasting company De Vijver Media(notified Aug. 18/deadline extended for the second time to March5 from Feb. 5)
MARCH 5
-- Belgian telecoms group Telenet, which is asubsidiary of U.S. cable group Liberty Global, toacquire 50 percent stake in Belgian broadcasting company DeVijver Media (notified Aug. 18/deadline extended for the secondtime to March 5 from Feb. 5/companies submitted concessions onNov. 24)
APRIL 22
-- SOCAR, Azerbaijan's state energy company, to buy stakesin Greek natural gas grid operator DESFA from Greek natural gasutility DEPA (notified Oct. 1/deadline extended for the secondtime to April 22 from March 23)
APRIL 24
-- French telecoms operator Orange to acquireSpanish provider Jazztel (notified Oct. 16/deadlineextended to April 24 from Dec. 4 after the Commission opened anin-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 workingdays to 35 working days, to consider either a company's proposedremedies 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 theclearance of uncontroversial first-stage mergers without givingany reason for its decision. Cases may be reclassified asnon-simplified -- that is, ordinary first-stage reviews -- untilthey are approved. (Editing by Foo Yun Chee)
