Alstom has announced that its proposed merger with Siemens Mobility is expected to close in the first half of this year.

First announced in October 2017, the transaction was submitted to the European Commission for approval on 8 June 2018. Following an in-depth investigation, the Commission issued a Statement of Objection on 29 October, citing the reduction in competition in the markets where the merged entity would be active. In particular, the Commission was concerned that the proposed transaction would lead to higher prices, less choice and less innovation due to reduced competitive pressure in rolling stock and signalling tenders.

On 12 December, Alstom and Siemens jointly agreed to submit a remedy package on to the European Commission in response to objection.  Since then, the parties have had a continuous dialogue with the Commission, including some improvement of the remedy package to respond to the Commission's concerns.

The proposed remedies include mainly signalling activities as well as rolling stock products and represent around 4% of the sales of the combined entity. The Commission will publish its decision on the remedied merger proposition by 18 February 2019.