EU approves French cheese joint venture

(Corrects spelling of "venture" in second paragraph)

BRUSSELS, Oct 19 (Reuters) - French dairy producers Bongrain (BONG.PA) and Sodiaal won permission from the European Commission on Friday to form a joint venture to make camembert, brie and coulommiers cheeses.

Bongrain will contribute its well-known Coeur de Lion cheese brand to the new venture which will also include Sodiaal's Le Rustique plus cheeses sold under retailer brands. The Commission, the EU's ultimate antitrust regulator, said the deal would not significantly hurt competition in the European Economic Area or a significant part of it.