The Commission des Opérations de Bourse (COB), the French markets regulator, is planning to rush through changes to French takeover rules before the French presidential elections, according to senior bankers in Paris.

The COB, which is run by Michel Prada, last week published the results of a consultation process on the proposed changes, which were first announced in October last year. The proposals have been passed to the Conseil des Marchés Financiers (CMF), the body that broadly regulates takeovers, and the changes will then have to be ratified by the French government.