Last checked at 
BRUSSELS, Sept 30 (Reuters) - The following are mergersunder review by the European Commission and a brief guide to theEU merger process:
APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS
-- Areva Energies Renouvelables and Gamesa Energiato set up a joint venture (notified Sept. 4/approved Sept.30/simplified)
-- The Ortner Group and Strauss, which is a subsidiary ofAustrian construction company PORR, to jointly acquireAustrian property developer UBM (notified Sept. 4/approved Sept.30/simplified)
NEW LISTINGS
-- Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways to acquire 49 percentstake in Italian airline Alitalia (notified Sept. 29/deadlineNov. 3)
EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES
None
FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE
OCT 3
-- U.S. fruit firm Chiquita Brands and Irish rivalFyffes to merge (notified Aug. 14/deadline extended toOct. 3 from Sept. 19 after the companies offered commitments)
-- U.S. social network Facebook to buy mobilemessaging startup WhatsApp (notified Aug. 29/deadline Oct. 3)
-- U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly to acquire Swiss peerNovartis's animal health business (notified Aug.29/deadline Oct. 3)
-- U.S. orthopaedic products maker Zimmer Holdings to acquire rival Biomet Inc (notified Aug.29/deadline Oct. 3)
OCT 8
-- Private equity firm the Blackstone Group toacquire life insurer Lombard (notified Sept. 3/deadline Oct.8/simplified)
OCT 9
-- U.S. film and TV company 21st Century Fox and privateinvestment firm Apollo Management to acquire joint control of ajoint venture (notified Sept. 4/deadline Oct. 9)
-- Dubai's Dnata, part of the Emirates Group, to buy Britain's Stella Travel Services UK Ltd, which is jointly ownedby private equity firm CVC Capital Partners and Swissbank UBS AG (notified Sept. 4/Oct. 9/simplified)
OCT 13
-- U.S. household appliances maker Whirlpool to buya 60 percent stake in Italian peer Indesit (notifiedSept. 8/deadline Oct. 13)
OCT 14
-- Petrochemicals group Ineos to buy BASF's 50percent stake in German plastics maker Styrolution (notifiedSept. 9/deadline Oct. 14/simplified)
OCT 15
-- Private equity firm Advent International to buy aluminiumproducer Corialis (notified Sept. 10/deadline Oct.15/simplified)
OCT 16
-- U.S. drugmaker AbbVie to acquire Irish peerShire Plc (notified Sept. 11/deadline Oct. 16)
-- U.S. aluminium group Alcoa to buy parts aerospacecompany Firth Rixson from private equity firm Oak Hill CapitalPartners (notified Sept. 11/deadline Oct. 16)
OCT 17
-- Private equity firm EQT Infrastructure and Spanishbuilding manager Onmomutua to acquire joint control of Spanishcar operator Acvil, which is now solely controlled by EQT(notified Sept. 12/deadline Oct. 17/simplified)
OCT 20
-- Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Germanengineering group Siemens to set up a joint venture(notified Sept. 15/deadline Oct. 20)
OCT 23
-- OFI InfraVia, GDF Suez and PensionDanmarkHolding to acquire joint control of gas pipeline operatorNoordgastransport B.V. (notified Sept. 18/deadline Oct.23/simplified)
-- French insurer Axa and British propertydeveloper Hammerson plc to acquire joint control of a Britishproperty portfolio which is now jointly owned by Hammerson andLand Securities Group plc (notified Sept. 18/deadline Oct.23/simplified)
OCT 30
-- Dolby Laboratories to acquire digital cinemaequipment maker Doremi Highlands (notified Sept. 25/deadlineOct. 30)
OCT 31
-- Mobile operator Vodafone to form joint venturewith Ireland's Electricity Supply Board to build fibre broadbandnetwork across country (notified Sept. 26/deadline Oct. 31)
-- Private equity fund Clayton, Dubilier & Rice to acquirehelicopter operator CHC Group (notified Sept.26/deadline Oct. 31/simplified)
NOV 3
-- U.S. cable company Liberty Global to acquireDutch peer Ziggo (notified March 14/deadline extendedto Nov. 3 after Liberty Global provided further details ofconcessions)
FEB 3
-- Belgian telecoms group Telenet to acquire 50percent stake in Belgian broadcasting company De Vijver Media(notified Aug. 18/deadline extended to Feb. 5 from Sept. 22after the European Commission opened an in-depth probe)
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)
