Holcim and Lafarge formally notify EC

Lafarge and Holcim have formally notified the European Commission (EC) of their proposed merger to obtain regulatory approval and have made slight changes to the list of assets being disposed in Europe.

During the pre-notification discussions which Lafarge and Holcim have had with the European Commission, the list of proposed assets for divestment in Europe has been slightly amended. Compared with the list of assets presented on July 7, 2014, the two companies now propose to:
• retain Lafarge’s Mannersdorf plant located in Austria
• divest all of Holcim’s operations in Slovakia.

Analysts at JP Morgan believe that despite the list of assets being slightly amended, the move takes Lafarge and Holcim "one step closer to the completion of the merger as Phase-1 review [25 working days] would result in EU approval by the first week of December."

With this EC notification, Holcim and Lafarge have now completed all necessary notifications with regulatory authorities worldwide. In the rest of the world, the proposed list of assets remains the same, with the exception of the Philippines, as announced by the boards of directors of Lafarge Republic Inc and of Holcim Philippines Inc.

In parallel to the regulatory process, Holcim and Lafarge are in ongoing negotiations with potential buyers of the assets that are proposed for divestment.