NYSE-Deutsche Boerse Said to Lack Support to Overturn EU Ban

NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Boerse AG are unlikely to garner enough support from European Union commissioners to overturn a looming veto over their plan to create the world’s largest exchange, according to four people familiar with the situation.

The EU’s antitrust chief, Joaquin Almunia, won’t face significant opposition from other EU commissioners to his proposal to block the deal at a Feb. 1 meeting, said the people who can’t be identified because the discussions aren’t public. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, is led by 27 commissioners drawn from each of the bloc’s member states. They must jointly approve EU decisions.