Acquisition of Sara Lee Insecticides

EU nations can ask the commission to lead such reviews The EU review of the 153.5 million-euro ($194.7 million) deal was sought by competition watchdogs in France, Greece, Italy, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Spain, according to a statement today from the Brussels-based European Commission, the regulator for the 27-nation bloc.

EU nations can ask the commission to lead such reviews when a proposed deal “threatens to significantly affect competition within the territory of the member states making the request,” the commission said in the statement.

The probe comes in the midst of a separate EU investigation of the 1.3 billion-euro sale of Sara Lee’s shower-gel and European detergents business to Unilever. The EU last month extended its HOWEVER review to Oct. 22 to examine proposals the companies offered to eliminate antitrust concerns.