As Ireland arms its competition watchdog, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), with heightened jurisdiction, experts see missed shots in the merger review process. The recent amendments enable the CCPC to challenge business practices that could stifle budding competition, a move echoing the whispers of the European corridors. However, the game’s real twist lies in the missed opportunities for the pre-notification process, keeping the country’s alignment with the UK and EU in shadows.
Ireland’s Antitrust Probes : The New Law’s Terrain
Drawing parallels to a storybook hero given powers he already possessed, the Irish Competition (Amendment) Act 2022, which became operational on September 27, offers the CCPC legal authority to scrutinize deals they’ve been examining for ages, say industry insiders. Think of it as granting a detective the official badge he never had, but the detective was solving cases anyway.
Lawyers are raising eyebrows, noting that the amendment doesn’t dive deep enough into the pre-notification waters, a process that would grant the CCPC more insights into impending mergers, potentially streamlining investigations.
