EU: Linde, Praxair merger to needs further review

Antitrust officials are set to start an in-depth review of the German-US megamerger. Their merger will create the world’s largest supplier of industrial gas. But the $75 billion deal between German company Linde and US Praxair is not cut and dried yet.

EU antitrust regulators are set to announce on Friday that it will start an in-depth review, a so-called phase 2 investigation, of the planned merger. The crux of the matter: The selection of potential buyers for company parts that Linde and Connecticut-based Praxair want to sell to defuse antitrust concerns.

Competition officials in Brussels hope that these parts will be sold to one or several strong competitors in Europe, instead of many small regional competitors, reported Reuters. “The European Commission wants to see a similar heavyweight taking over,” a source familiar with the negotiations told Handelsblatt. Major competitors such as Air Liquide and Air Products, but also the German competitor Messer Group, could be top choices.

Full Content: Reuters

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