Alstom CEO Confident Siemens Rail Merger Will Clear EU Antitrust Hurdles

Siemens AG (SIE.XE) and Alstom SA (ALO.FR) are confident that European Commission antitrust regulators will approve the merger of their rail businesses, Alstom's chief executive told analysts Wednesday.

"This is a large deal, so it's no surprise that it will be looked at closely by the European Commission. We are confident," Alstom CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge said on the call with analysts.

Siemens and Alstom announced the merger late on Tuesday, which would create a European transportation business with $18 billion in annual sales revenue and seek to be a European champion like the Airbus SE (AIR.FR) group in aviation that can compete globally.

Write to William Boston at william.boston@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 27, 2017 03:12 ET (07:12 GMT)