EU sets March 30 deadline for Orange and MasMovil merger

• The merger of Orange and MasMovil will be decided on March 20.
• EU will approve the deal after preliminary evaluation.
• The carriers may as Commission for closer inspection.

According to a European Commission filing on Tuesday, EU antitrust officials will decide by March 20 whether to approve the $19 billion merger of French telecom carrier Orange and Spanish telecom provider MasMovil in Spain.

Orange requested EU clearance the day before.

After completing its preliminary evaluation, the EU competition authority can either approve the deal with or without remedies or if it has major concerns, it can launch a four-month inquiry.

The partnership between Spain’s second and fourth-largest telecom carriers represented by the deal may subject the Commission to closer inspection.

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