Dow, DuPont on Track to Win Merger Clearance From EU Regulators -- Sources

By Natalia Drozdiak

BRUSSELS--Dow Chemical Co.(DOW) and DuPont Co. (DD) are on track to win regulatory approval from the European Union's competition watchdog after the companies earlier in February offered to sell businesses to ease antitrust concerns, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

The European Commission, the bloc's antitrust regulator, is poised to clear the deal on the basis of the remedies the companies offered, although the decision isn't yet fully finalized and some aspects could still change, the people said.

In early February, Dow and DuPont offered to dispose of a portion of DuPont's crop protection business and associated research and development, as well as Dow's acid copolymers and ionomers business.

In response, the EU's antitrust commissioner Margrethe Vestager suggested she thought the remedies could work.

The EU had given itself until April 4 to decide on the deal, though a green-light could come shortly before that deadline.

Write to Natalia Drozdiak at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 22, 2017 11:57 ET (16:57 GMT)

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