European regulators this week held a hearing with Dow Chemical and DuPont officials as the review of their pending merger proceeds.
The "oral hearing," according to Michigan Radio, provided the companies — and critics of the proposed deal — with an opportunity to address the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union.
The meeting, which was not open to the public, represents a "key element" of the EU's review process.
Dow and DuPont had hoped to complete their merger by the end of 2016, but the companies last year acknowledged that the EU probe would last into the new year.
Regulators are investigating whether the merger would negatively impact competition and consumer prices.
Critics argued that an increasingly consolidated agrichemical industry would harm both, while the companies told a U.S. Senate committee last year that the deal would bolster competitiveness and help farmers' profits.
The commission, Michigan Radio reported, is likely to finish its review by the end of February.
If completed, the companies plan to split into three separate, publicly traded companies within three years.
