Exclusive: Thales on course for EU okay for Gemalto 4.8-billion-euro bid - source

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - French aerospace and defence company Thales is on track to secure conditional EU antitrust approval for its 4.8-billion-euro (4.1 billion pounds) bid for chipmaker Gemalto , a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, a move set to make it a leading player in digital security services.Thales, Europe's largest defence electronics group whose largest shareholder is the French state, announced the deal in December last year. Companies are seeking to boost their presence..