Guidance on mergers
On this page you will find guidance documents on how the CCPC analyses mergers and acquisitions under the Competition Act 2002, as amended (2002 Act). It should be noted that the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 (2014 Act) made a number of important amendments to the merger review regime set out in the 2002 Act.
- CCPC Merger Guidelines – This document replaces the Guidelines for Merger Analysis document that was published by the Competition Authority in December 2013 (Competition Authority Notice N/13/001, 20 December 2013). Note that while the present document has been adopted by the CCPC and re-published as a CCPC document it does not contain any amendments to the Guidelines for Merger Analysis published by the Competition Authority in December 2013 (other than the substitution of references to the CCPC for references to the Competition Authority and the making of minor amendments to legislative references).
- Notice in respect of certain terms used in Part 3 of the Competition Act. This Notice outlines the CCPC’s understanding of certain terms used in Part 3 of the 2002 Act, as amended by the 2014 Act. However, this Notice is not, and does not purport to be, an interpretation of the law.
- Notice in respect of non-notifiable mergers and acquisitions. This Notice gives information about mergers and acquisitions that do not meet the statutory thresholds but may raise competition issues.
- Procedures for access to the file in merger cases. This document provides guidance on the CCPC’s policy in relation to access to its file by the merging parties.
- Simplified Merger Notification Procedure Guidelines. This document sets out the CCPC’s simplified procedure for certain notifiable mergers or acquisitions that clearly do not raise competition concerns in Ireland.
- Mergers and Acquisitions procedures. This document outlines the procedures for dealing with mergers and acquisitions notified to the CCPC.
- Communications policy in relation to mergers. This document provides information on the CCPC’s communications policy in relation to mergers, including how it publicises mergers which have been implemented before a determination has been provided by the CCPC.
NOTE: For issues not covered by the above guidance documents, please contact the Competition Enforcement and Mergers Division at + 353 (0)1 402 5500 or mergers@ccpc.ie.
Useful links
• Mergers section of the European Commission website.
