BERLIN (Reuters) - Increasingly stringent state rules around the world have made takeovers in the high-tech sector more difficult, said German microchip maker Infineon's chief marketing officer.
"It lengthens the time until a green light is given and involves considerable uncertainty," Helmut Gassel said on Thursday.
Governments reserved the right to audit even the smallest takeovers, he said, adding the M&A environment in the high-tech and semiconductor sectors overall has become far more difficult.
Gassel's comment comes after a takeover offer for German chip supplier Siltronic by Taiwan's GlobalWafers fell through this week because the German government did not give regulatory approval in time.