Linde, Bayer deals in review

The European Commission has informed Linde and Bayer that their respective acquisitions of Praxair and Monsanto can go ahead only if they agree to divest chunks of their businesses postacquisition. Linde says European requirements to acquire Praxair will now be “more onerous than previously assumed.” Linde says it faces a second, more in-depth investigation into the impact of its planned deal on the competitiveness of Europe’s industrial gas sector. It’s set to conclude by May 7. Linde announced its deal to combine with Praxair in December 2016. Meanwhile, Bayer has offered to sell more businesses in order to satisfy European regulators reviewing its planned acquisition of Monsanto. The commission will decide by April 5 whether Bayer is offering enough. Bayer had already agreed to divest its glufosinate herbicide and glufosinate-resistant seeds businesses to BASF for $7 billion. Bayer’s deal to acquire Monsanto, announced in September 2016, will create a pesticides and seeds behemoth.