Germany and France Present Outline for EU Competition Changes

  • Proposal comes after Brussels shot down Siemens-Alstom tie-up
  • Plan addresses need for EU to contend with Chinese companies

European Union (EU) flags fly.

Photographer: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg
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Germany, France and Poland are pushing plans to facilitate big mergers in the European Union, after the bloc shot down an intended tie-up this year between Siemens AG and Alstom SA to create a European champion to compete with China.

The European Commission should introduce “more flexibility” and “take into account competition at a global level” when it analyzes mergers, according to a joint paper from the three governments published on Thursday.