Aug 1 (Reuters) - The EU Commission on Thursday said it

had unconditionally approved the $14 billion takeover of

networking gear maker Juniper Networks ( JNPR ) by Hewlett

Packard Enterprise ( HPE ).

The commission said its investigation had shown the deal

would not significantly reduce competition in the markets for

wireless local area network equipment and access points,

ethernet campus switches and datacentre switches.

It said the merged company's market position would remain

moderate, while it would continue to face competition from a

wide range of competitors.

People familiar with the matter on Monday already said HPE

was set to secure approval for the deal announced in January.

The takeover underscores the rush by companies to upgrade

and develop new products amid a sharp rise in artificial

intelligence-driven services.

The deal is also being assessed by Britain's antitrust

enforcer, with a decision due on Aug. 14.