New merger rules come into force in Ireland today, Friday, 31
October 2014, under the Competition and Consumer Protection Act
("2014 Act"). In this short note we
highlight three very important changes to Ireland's
media merger regime. Our briefing on the 2014 Act
and the new merger thresholds applicable to all other mergers is
available
here.
EUMR transactions involving 'media mergers' require
notification in Ireland
For the first time, where an undertaking carries on a 'media
business' in Ireland and acquires a 'media business'
elsewhere and that merger is notified to the Commission under the
EU Merger Regulation it must also be notified to the Irish Minister
for Communications ("Minister"). A
notification can only be made to the Minister after the Form CO is
submitted and before the transaction is put into effect. Once
notified, the Minister must carry out a review of the transaction
taking account of media plurality issues.
