Irish Competition And Consumer Protection Act Passed

On 17 July 2014, the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 was passed by the Irish Parliament. The legislation was first published by the Irish Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation ("DJEI") on 31 March 2014 (See VBB on Competition Law, Volume 2014, No. 4, available at www.vbb.com).

The main innovation introduced under the Act is the merger of the National Consumer Agency ("NCA") and the Competition Authority ("CA") to form the new Competition and Consumer Protection Commission ("CCPC"), although this new authority will only come into existence at a future date to be determined by the DJEI. This new body will be responsible for both the promotion of competition and the protection of consumers and follows a similar development in the UK (See VBB on Competition Law, Volume 2014, No. 3, available at www.vbb.com).