By Tom Fairless
BRUSSELS--European Union authorities have extended by a month
their investigation into General Electric Co.'s $17 billion
acquisition of France-based Alstom SA's energy businesses, amid a
disagreement over the geographical scope of a key market.
The delay highlights the uncertainty around GE's biggest deal to
date, a rare example of a large French company being acquired by a
U.S. rival.
In a statement posted online, the European Commission, the
bloc's top antitrust authority, said that it had extended the
deadline for its investigation by 20 working days, to August 6. GE
Chief Executive Jeff Immelt told investors in December that the
company was aiming to close the Alstom deal by July 1.
EU regulators opened the in-depth investigation three weeks ago
to assess whether the proposed deal could lead to higher prices for
large gas turbines.
Write to Tom Fairless at tom.fairless@wsj.com
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