After receiving the key data previously requested from Dow and DuPont, the European Commission has restarted its in-depth investigation of the $130 billion merger between the two US chemical giants. The EU regulatory authority said last week it had stopped the clock on the probe in October – for a second time – after the companies failed to submit crucial information.

A spokesman for the Commission said in an email to news agencies that it has set 28 February 2017 as the new date to complete the investigation. In the past it said it was concerned that the merger could reduce competition for crop protection and seeds as well as certain petrochemicals.