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EU Should Approve Siemens-Alstom Rail Merger, Le Maire Says

EU Should Approve Siemens-Alstom Rail Merger, Le Maire Says

(Bloomberg) -- The European Commission should give a green light to the rail merger between Siemens AG and Alstom SA after the two companies offered a fresh package of concessions designed to allay antitrust concerns, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said.

“Alstom and Siemens have made new concessions to the European Commission to merge and create a world champion in rail,” Le Maire wrote on Twitter. “Nothing can justify today the European Commission’s refusal of the merger.”

The companies have offered to sell signaling assets as well as longer licensing agreements, and have already identified potential acquirers, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Friday.

To contact the reporter on this story: Blaise Robinson in Paris at brobinson58@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Celeste Perri at cperri@bloomberg.net, Stephen Kirkland, James Amott

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