CCPC announces introduction of a simplified merger review procedure

June 14, 2019

Between 7 November and 21 December 2018, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) held a public consultation to gather views on whether a simplified procedure for the review of certain mergers should be introduced in Ireland.

The CCPC received six written submissions in response to our consultation, set out in the table below. We would like to thank all of those who made submissions for their valuable contribution.

Having assessed the consultation responses and reviewed the merger control practices used in other EU Member States and by the EU Commission, the CCPC has decided to introduce a simplified review procedure.

The next step is that we will now draft simplified procedure guidelines, setting out detailed proposals on how the process may work. This will include:

  • The criteria which may be used to select notifiable transactions for assessment under a simplified procedure.
  • Examples of situations where mergers which qualify for assessment under a simplified procedure may be reviewed under a standard procedure.
  • An overview of what changes will be made to current merger procedures.

These draft guidelines will then be published to allow for a period of consultation. It is anticipated that this consultation will take place before the end of 2019.

Further information will be made available on our website, and through our merger alerts which you can sign up to here.

Responses to CCPC’s Public Consultation
Arthur Cox Response LK Shields Response
Law Firm Response (anonymised by request) Mason Hayes & Curran Response
Law Society Response Matheson Response
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