EU mergers and takeovers (Sept 16)

BRUSSELS, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process:

APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS

-- U.S. cable company Liberty Global (NasdaqGS: LBTYA - news) and Discovery Communications Inc to acquire UK-based All3Media, producer of hit TV shows such as "Skins" (approved Sept. 16)

-- Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co. (Other OTC: MITSF - news) and Mitsubishi Corp. -controlled Metal One to form a joint venture to work in the trading of steel waste and scrap in Japan (approved Sept. 16)

NEW LISTINGS

-- Private equity firm EQT Infrastructure and Spanish building manager Onmomutua to acquire joint control of Spanish car operator Acvil, which is now solely controlled by EQT (notified Sept. 12/deadline Oct. 17/simplified)

-- U.S. drugmaker AbbVie (Xetra: 4AB.DE - news) to acquire Irish peer Shire Plc (LSE: SHP.L - news) (notified Sept. 11/deadline Oct. 16)

-- U.S. aluminium group Alcoa (NYSE: AA - news) to buy parts aerospace company Firth Rixson from private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners (notified Sept. 11/deadline Oct. 16)

-- Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Other OTC: MHVYF - news) and German engineering group Siemens to set up a joint venture (notified Sept. 15/deadline Oct. 20)

-- Private equity firm Advent International to buy aluminium producer Corialis (notified Sept. 10/deadline Oct. 15/simplified)

EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES

-- U.S. fruit firm Chiquita Brands and Irish rival Fyffes (Other OTC: FYFFF - news) to merge (notified Aug. 14/deadline extended to Oct. 3 from Sept. 19 after the companies offered commitments)

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

SEPT 19

-- French train operator SNCF to form joint venture with Belgian train operator SNCB, to manage the operation of the high-speed train service Thalys (notified Aug. 14/deadline Sept. 19)

SEPT 22

-- Belgian telecoms group Telenet (Brussels: TNET.BR - news) to acquire 50 percent stake in Belgian broadcasting company De Vijver Media (notified Aug. 18/deadline Sept. 22)

SEPT 24

-- Hungarian oil and gas group MOL to acquire Italian company Eni (NYSE: E - news) 's Czech, Slovak and Romanian units (notified Aug. 20/deadline Sept. 24)

SEPT 29

-- German publisher Postdam and German postal services provider PostCon Deutschland to acquire joint control of post services company Advo (notified Aug. 25/deadline Sept. 29/simplified)

-- Restructuring specialist Droege International Group to acquire German bookseller Weltbild (notified Aug. 25/deadline Sept. 29/simplified)

-- German consumer goods company Henkel (Xetra: 604840 - news) to acquire French household cleaner maker Spotless (notified Aug. 25/deadline Sept. 29)

-- Chinese grain trader COFCO Corp to buy a majority stake in Dutch trader Nidera (notified Aug. 25/deadline Sept. 29/simplified)

SEPT 30

-- Private equity firm Nordic Capital to acquire Norway-based debt collector Lindorff (notified Aug. 26/deadline Sept. 30/simplified)

-- U.S. agricultural commodities company Archer Daniel Midland Co to buy Swiss-based food flavours and specialty ingredients company Wild Flavors (notified Aug. 26/deadline Sept. 30/simplified)

-- Private equity firms KKR & Co LP and Riverstone Holdings LLC to form an oil and natural gas joint venture Trinity River Energy LLC (notified Aug. 26/deadline Sept. 30/simplified)

OCT 2

-- French food group Danone (Paris: FR0000120644 - news) and ID Logistics (Paris: FR0010929125 - news) to form a joint venture (notified Aug. 28/deadline Oct. 2/simplified)

OCT 3

-- U.S. social network Facebook (NasdaqGS: FB - news) to buy mobile messaging startup WhatsApp (notified Aug. 29/deadline Oct. 3)

-- U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly to acquire Swiss peer Novartis (Xetra: 904278 - news) 's animal health business (notified Aug. 29/deadline Oct. 3)

-- U.S. orthopaedic products maker Zimmer Holdings (NYSE: ZMH - news) to acquire rival Biomet Inc (notified Aug. 29/deadline Oct. 3)

-- China's Huayu Automotive Systems and German car parts maker KSPG Ag to set up a joint venture (notified Aug. 29/deadline Oct. 3/simplified)

OCT 6

-- U.S. private equity firm Warburg Pincus to acquire joint control of custody services company Santander Securities, which is part of Spanish bank Banco Santander (Amsterdam: SANT.AS - news) (notified Sept. 1/deadline Oct. 6/simplified)

OCT 7

-- Swiss insurer Helvetia to acquire Nationale Suisse (notified Sept. 2/deadline Oct. 7/simplified)

OCT 9

-- The Ortner Group and Strauss, which is a subsidiary of Austrian construction company PORR, to jointly acquired Austrian property developer UBM (notified Sept. 4/deadline Oct. 9/simplified)

-- Areva Energies Renouvelables and Gamesa Energia to set up a joint venture (notified SEpt. 4/deadline Oct. 9/simplified)

-- U.S. film and TV company 21st Century Fox and private investment firm Apollo Management to acquire joint control of a joint 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 owned by private equity firm CVC Capital Partners and Swiss bank UBS AG (NYSEArca: FBGX - news) (notified Sept. 4/Oct. 9/simplified)

OCT 13

-- U.S. household appliances maker Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR - news) to buy a 60 percent stake in Italian peer Indesit (notified Sept. 8/deadline Oct. 13)

OCT 14

-- Petrochemicals group Ineos to buy BASF's 50 percent stake in German plastics maker Styrolution (notified Sept. 9/deadline Oct. 14)

NOV 3

-- U.S. cable company Liberty Global to acquire Dutch peer Ziggo (notified March 14/deadline extended to Nov. 3 after Liberty Global provided further details of concessions)

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)