EU mergers and takeovers (Nov 25)

BRUSSELS, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process:

APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS

-- French investment company Ardian France to acquire food ingredient maker Solina (approved Nov. 24)

NEW LISTINGS

None

EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES

-- Belgian chemical group Solvay (Brussels: SOLB.BR - news) to acquire U.S (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) . peer Cytec (notified Oct (HKSE: 3366-OL.HK - news) . 13/deadline Dec. 2/commitments offered on Nov. 11)

FIRST (Other OTC: FSTC - news) -STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE

DEC 1

-- Swiss chemicals company Ineos to acquire UK North Sea gas fields from the DEA Group (notified Oct. 26/deadline Dec. 1/simplified)

DEC 7

-- U.S. fertiliser maker CF Industries Holdings to acquire OCI NV's North American and European plants (notified Oct. 30/deadline Dec. 7)

-- Enel Green Power (Other OTC: ELPSF - news) and asset management company F2I to set up a joint venture (notified Oct. 30/deadline Dec. 7)

-- German carmaker BMW (Swiss: BMW.SW - news) and heating and refrigeration systems maker Viessmann to set up Digital Energy Solutions GmbH (notified Oct. 30/deadline Dec. 7/simplified)

-- Investment firm Oaktree Capital Group, Swedish builder Skanska (Stockholm: SKA-B.ST - news) and hotel operator Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide to acquire Polish hotel operator Hotel Atrium (notified Oct. 30/deadline Dec. 7/simplified)

DEC 8

-- Swedish state utility Vattenfall and GDF Suez Energie Deutschland AG to to set up a consortium (notified Nov. 3/deadline Dec. 8)

-- U.S. conglomerate Koch Industries and BDT Capital Partners (LSE: 0LSM.L - news) to acquire joint control of U.S. lighting maker Truck-Lite (notified Nov. 3/deadline Dec. 8/simplified)

DEC 9

-- Austrian home improvement chain OBI (Taiwan OTC: 4174.TWO - news) to acquire some retail sites from Austrian peer BauMax (notified Nov. 4/deadline Dec. 9)

DEC 10

-- German dairy producer DMK Deutsches Milchkontor GmbH to acquire Dutch cheese producer DOC Kaas B.V. (notified Nov. 5/deadline Dec. 10)

-- Spanish bank Banco Santander (Amsterdam: 817651.AS - news) and private equity firm Pai Partners to jointly control Grupo Konectanet (notified Nov. 5/deadline Dec. 10/simplified)

DEC 11

-- Private equity firm KKR to acquire Swiss-based vending machine operator Selecta (notified Nov. 6/deadline Dec. 11/simplified)

-- Private equity firm LetterOne Holdings to acquire German energy company E.ON's oil and gas assets in the Norwegian North Sea (notified Nov. 6/deadline Dec. 11/simplified)

-- Trading company Gunvor Group to acquire refinery operator Kuwait Petroleum Europoort (notified Nov. 6/deadline Dec. 11/simplified)

-- Swiss Re (LSE: 0QL6.L - news) to acquire Guardian Financial Services (notified Nov. 6/deadline Dec. 11/simplified)

-- UK insurer Aviva (Other OTC: AIVAF - news) and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board to set up a property joint venture (notified Nov. 6/deadline Dec. 11/simplified)

DEC 12

-- Canadian auto parts maker Linamar (Other OTC: LIMAF - news) to acquire French peer Montupet (Other OTC: MNTPF - news) (notified Nov. 6/deadline Dec. 12)

DEC 14

-- French bank Caisse des Depots, Abu Dhabi-based investment and development firm Mubadala Development Co and Vivalto Bel to jointly acquire French private health club operator Group Vivalto Sante (notified Nov. 9/deadline Dec. 14)

DEC 16

-- Private equity firm Vista Equity Partners to acquire technology company Solera Holdings Inc (NYSE: SLH - news) (notified Nov. 11/deadline Dec. 16)

-- Commodity trader Trafigura to acquire de facto sole control of Belgian zinc producer Nyrstar (notified Nov. 11/Dec. 16)

DEC 17

-- Germany's Bertelman plans to buy remaining 25.1 percent stake in printing group Privonis from Axel Springer . (notified Nov. 12/ deadline Dec. 17)

-- France's Michelin (Paris: FR0000121261 - news) and Fives plan joint venture in metal 3D printing (notified Nov. 12/ deadline Dec. 17/simplified)

-- The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (Omers) to buy out environment and social issues consultant ERM with the Alberta Investment Management Corp as a co-investor (notified Nov. 12/ deadline Dec. 17/simplified)

-- Canadian car parts supplier Magna International to acquire German automotive transmission systems maker Getrag (notified Nov. 12/deadline Dec. 17)

DEC 18

-- AXA (Paris: FR0000120628 - news) and Danish public pension fund ATP plan to acquire control of two hotels jointly with Club Quarters (notified Nov. 13/ deadline Dec. 18/simplified)

DEC 21

-- Finnish stainless steel maker Outokumpu (Helsinki: OUT1V.HE - news) to acquire shares in Germany's Hernandez Edelstahl (notified Nov. 16/deadline Dec. 21)

-- EQT Services to acquire 75 percent of Top-Toy, a toy retailer in the Nordic Countries and Germany (notified Nov. 16/deadline Dec. 21/simplified)

DEC 23

-- Transgourmet, a unit of Switzerland's Coop, to buy Austria's C+C Pfeiffer, a subsidiary of the Pfeiffer trading group, as well as to take a 50 percent stake in centralised purchasing team Top Team (notified Nov. 18/deadline Dec. 23/simplified)

-- Novartis (LSE: 0QLR.L - news) to buy remaining rights to Ofatumumab from Britain's GlaxoSmithKline (Amsterdam: GO8.AS - news) (notified Nov. 18/deadline Dec. 23)

JAN 4

-- MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc to buy Amlin (Stuttgart: 4A8A.SG - news) PLC, an underwriter in the Lloyd's of London specialist insurance market (notified Nov. 19/deadline Jan 4/simplified)

JAN 6

-- Private equity firm Ratos AB (Stockholm: RATO-A.ST - news) and Finland's Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company to jointly acquire joint venture Serena Properties AB (notified Nov. 23/deadline Jan. 6/simplified)

JAN 13

-- U.S. packages delivery company FedEx (Swiss: FDX.SW - news) to acquire Dutch peer TNT (notified July /deadline extended to Jan. 13 from Dec. 8 after the companies asked for more time)

JAN 18

-- South African paper maker Mondi (LSE: MNDI.L - news) to acquire some assets from portfolio company Walki (notified July 29/deadline extended to Jan. 18 from Sept. 2 after the European Commission opened an in-depth investigation)

JAN 22

-- U.S. drinks can maker Ball Corp (NYSE: BLL - news) to acquire British rival Rexam Plc (LSE: REX.L - news) (notified June 15/deadline extended for the third time to Jan 22 from Dec. 23 after companies submitted commitments)

MARCH 2

-- U.S. office supplier Staples (NasdaqGS: SPLS - news) to acquire U.S. rival Office Depot (NasdaqGS: ODP - news) (notified Aug. 21/deadline extended for the second time to March 2 from Feb. 10 after the companies asked for more time)

MARCH 17

-- Cable telecoms company Liberty Global (NasdaqGS: LBTYA - news) 's Belgian subsidiary Telenet (Other OTC: TLGHY - news) to buy mobile network operator Base from Dutch group KPN (notified Aug. 17/deadline extended to March 17 from March 3)

APRIL (LSE: 0N69.L - news) 18

-- Hutchison Whampoa to acquire Telefonica (Amsterdam: TA6.AS - news) 's O2 UK subsidiary (notified Sept. 11/deadline extended for the fourth time to April 18 from March 16 after Hutchison (HKSE: 0013-OL.HK - news) asked for more time)

SUSPENDED

-- Oilfield services provider Halliburton (Hanover: HAL.HA - news) to buy rival Baker Hughes in a stock and cash transaction (notified July 23/deadline suspended after the companies provided insufficient information)

-- 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 suspended on Jan. 21)

GUIDE TO EU MERGER PROCESS

DEADLINES:

The European Commission has 25 working days after a deal is filed for a first-stage review. It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) 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. (Compiled by Foo Yun Chee and Philip Blenkinsop)