BRUSSELS, Oct 27 (Reuters) - The following are mergers underreview by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EUmerger process:
APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS
-- Dolby Laboratories to acquire digital cinemaequipment maker Doremi Highlands (approved Oct. 27/notifiedSept. 25)
-- British telecoms operator Vodafone to form jointventure with Ireland's Electricity Supply Board to build fibrebroadband network across country (approved Oct. 27/notifiedSept. 26)
NEW LISTINGS
None
EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES
None
FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE
NOV 3
-- Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways to acquire 49 percentstake in Italian airline Alitalia (notified Sept. 29/deadlineNov. 3)
NOV 4
-- PCCR USA, which is part of the Polynt group to acquireall of French oil company Total's CCP compositesbusiness (notified Oct. 1/deadline Nov. 4)
NOV 5
-- SOCAR, Azerbaijan's state energy company, to buy stakesin Greek natural gas grid operator DESFA from Greek natural gasutility DEPA (notified Oct. 1/deadline Nov. 5)
NOV 12
-- Aerospace group Airbus and French engine makerSafran to set up a joint venture (notified Oct.8/deadline Nov. 12)
NOV 13
-- French mutual BPCE, which is part of French bank Natixis, to acquire 49.9 percent of five subsidiaries of LaCompagnie du Soleil and La Compagnie du Vent, which is jointlyowned by French utility GDF Suez and Soper (notifiedOct. 9/deadline Nov. 13/simplified)
-- Investment firm Strategic Value Partners to acquireLinpac Senior Holdings Ltd, the parent company of plasticpackager Linpac Packaging Ltd (notified Oct. 9/deadline Nov.13/simplified)
-- Chemicals company Albemarle to buy specialtychemicals producer Rockwood Holdings Inc (notified Oct.9/deadline Nov. 13)
-- Private equity firm Apollo Management to buy Portugueseinsurer Companhia de Seguros Tranquilidade (notifiedOct. 9/deadline Nov. 13/simplified)
NOV 14
-- Mexican chemicals producer Mexichem to buyGerman plastic maker Vestolit (notified Oct. 10/deadline Nov.14)
-- Dutch mutual fund APG and Hammerson to acquire jointcontrol of property developer Via from property developers SDMGand the Meyer Bergman Group (notified Oct. 10/deadline Nov.14/simplified)
-- Japanese trucks maker Hino Motors Ltd, which is a unit ofToyota Motors Corp, Indonesian car distributor Indomobil andJapanese trading house Sumitomoto Corp to set up ajoint venture in Indonesia (notified Oct. 10/deadline Nov.14/simplified)
-- U.S. medical device maker Medtronic Inc toacquire Irish peer Covidien (notified Oct. 10/deadlineNov. 14)
-- Mexican Mexichem to buy German plastic makerVestolit (notified Oct. 10/deadline Nov. 14)
NOV 17
-- Private equity firm KKR and German insurerAllianz to acquire indirect joint control of vendingmachine operator Selecta (notified Oct. 13/deadlineNov. 17)
NOV 18
-- Property developer RREEF, a unit of Deutsche Bank, and German property consultancy ECE to jointlyacquire properties (notified Oct. 14/deadline Nov. 18)
NOV 20
-- Private equity firm TDR Capital to acquire Britishhousing developer Lakeside Ltd (notified Oct. 16/deadline Nov.20/simplified)
-- French telecoms operator Orange to acquireSpanish provider Jazztel (notified Oct. 16/deadlineNov. 20)
NOV 21
-- Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (Europe) Ltd andSpanish transport services provider Ferrovial Aeropuertos S.A.U.which is part of Spanish builder Ferrovial, to acquirejoint control of British airport operator Airport Holdings NDH1from Heathrow Airports Holdings Ltd (notified Oct.17/deadline Nov. 21)
-- British insurer Aviva and Polish bank BZ WBK to set up a joint venture (notified Oct. 17/deadlineNov. 21/simplified)
NOV 24
-- South Korea's Lotte Chemical Corp to acquireVersalis Elastomers Co. Ltd, which is a joint venture betweenItalian energy group ENI subsidiary Versalis and Lotte(notified Oct. 20/deadline Nov. 24/simplified)
NOV 26
-- Chinese conglomerate Fosun to purchase Frenchholiday group Club Mediterranee (notified Oct.22/deadline Nov. 26/simplified)
-- Private equity firm Blackstone to acquire AllianceAutomotive from Weinberg Capital Partners (notified Oct.22/deadline Nov. 26)
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 11
-- U.S. orthopaedic products maker Zimmer Holdings to acquire rival Biomet Inc (notified Aug.29/deadline extended for the second time to March 11 from Feb.16)
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)
Vodafone (VOD)
