The European Commission has formally approved the acquisition by Italian oil and gas group Eni and partners of a controlling stake in Portugal's Galp Energia, the EU executive said on Monday.
The deal was considered under the Commission's simplified merger review procedure, which is used when few antitrust problems are expected.
The Portuguese government and state-controlled Eni reached agreement in December in a deal where Eni keeps its stake in Galpenergia at 33.34 percent, rather than exercise an option to raise its ownership to 47 percent.