Brussels, 25/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Advisory Committee of the Member States approved early this week the document developed by the Commission's competition services on the arrangements for disengagement between the Schneider and Legrand group, a document that will be submitted for the approval of the College of European Commissioners on 30 January. The document would leave Schneider the possibility of choosing between the sale of Legrand shares or scission. The group would have nine months in which to untie the operation but Henri Lachmann, Schneider CEO, has called on the Commission for "maximum flexibility, especially regarding the time set" for separating from Legrand. We recall that the Commission had, last October, given its veto to the merger project between the two French electrical components groups, which had committed the error of not waiting for clearance from the Commission before beginning their project. Schneider had already acquired almost 98% of its partner's capital, shares that it is now forced to sell.