Merger Control and Foreign Direct Investment
Merger control is one of the core areas of the Competition and Regulated Markets Group. The Group advises Irish and international clients on an ongoing basis on the largest and most complex cases reviewed by the CCPC in Ireland.
The Group also has extensive experience of notifying mergers to the European Commission under the EU Merger Regulation, and in handling cases notified to the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport under the Irish media merger rules.
The group has extensive experience advising clients on Ireland’s foreign direct investment (“FDI”) screening regime. This regime sets out a mandatory and suspensory framework for transactions involving “third country” investors that may impact national security or public order in Ireland. We assist international investors, Irish businesses and transaction parties in navigating the legal and procedural requirements of the Irish FDI regime, including assessing whether proposed investments fall within the scope of the regime, navigating the notification requirements and managing interactions with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.
“The team crafted a very good competition filing and the advocacy was exceptional. It delivered a great result.”
Chambers Europe 2025
Relevant Experience
- Advising CRH plc on merger control aspects of its acquisition of Gibson Bros.
- Advising Phoenix Tower International on the €971 million acquisition of the tower business of Cellnex Telecom in Ireland, which was cleared by the CCPC subject to commitments following a Phase 2 review.
- Advising Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company on Irish merger control aspects of the proposed acquisition of BDS Vending, which was cleared unconditionally by the CCPC following a Phase 2 review.
- Advising Flutter Entertainment plc on the merger control aspects of its €2.3 billion acquisition of Snaitech from Playtech plc. The transaction was referred by the European Commission to the Italian competition authority, which approved the transaction unconditionally in Phase 1.
- Advising Kerry Group plc on merger control aspects of the €500 million sale of an interest in its dairy consumer products and dairy ingredients business to Kerry Cooperative Creameries.
- Advising Dawn Meats on its acquisition of Kildare Chilling, approved unconditionally following a Phase 2 review by the CCPC.
- Advising Permanent TSB plc on the merger control aspects of its acquisition of certain elements of the Ulster Bank retail, SME and asset finance business from Ulster Bank, approved unconditionally following a Phase 2 review by the CCPC.
- Advising KBC on the merger control aspects of Bank of Ireland’s acquisition of certain assets and liabilities of KBC, which was cleared by the CCPC subject to commitments following a Phase 2 review.
- Advising a range of investors and target businesses across a variety of sensitive sectors in relation to the Irish foreign investment screening regime.
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