Alstom, Bombardier Seek to Avoid Path That Derailed Siemens Deal

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire met frequently with European Union Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager last year as he tried to save Siemens AG proposed merger with Alstom SA. Despite her decision to block the deal, he may be seeing her even more now.

The 50-year-old politician made the journey to Brussels again Tuesday, hours after Alstom announced plans to purchase Bombardier Inc.’s rail unit for as much as 6.2 billion euros ($6.7 billion). While Le Maire openly called Vestager’s decision a “mistake” last year, he was trying to put a better face on his latest sit-down with ...