The European Commission said today the deadline for its inquiry into a proposed joint acquisition of APN News & Media has been set for April 13th.
Independent News and Media, Providence Equity Partners and Carlyle Asia Partners is seeking to buy APN News & Media.
The transaction will be examined under the EU's "simplified" merger review procedure for cases that the commission believes do not pose competition concerns.
INM publishes national and regional newspapers, including the Sunday Independentand Irish Independent, while Providence is a private investment fund and Carlyle a private equity fund.
APN is an Australian company that publishes newspapers and magazines and does radio broadcasting, outdoor advertising and online services.