Proposed Changes To Ireland’s Media Merger Regime

On 26 February 2026, the Government published the proposed text of the Media Regulation Bill (the “Bill”), which will transpose the European Media Freedom Act (“EMFA”)¹ into Irish law. The EMFA, which, for the most part, entered into force on 8 August 2025, is an EU Regulation aimed at safeguarding the independence of media outlets and promoting media plurality. The Bill proposes significant changes to Ireland's media mergers regime, which is governed by Part 3A of the Competition Act 2002 ("Competition Act”), to give effect to Ireland’s obligations under the EMFA.

EMFA

The origins of the EMFA can be traced back to the European Commission’s (the “Commission”) publication of its first annual Rule of Law Report in September 2020 (the “Report”), which raised concerns with respect to media freedom and pluralism across the EU, particularly surrounding the politicisation of regulatory authorities, threats and attacks on journalists, media resourcing, and political pressure on the media.