Irish Merger Thresholds Increase from 1 July 2026

On 10 June 2026, the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment signed a ministerial order to increase the thresholds which trigger mandatory notification of mergers and acquisitions in Ireland to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (the “CCPC”). The thresholds have been increased under the Competition Act 2022 and took effect from 1 July 2026.

Why the Merger Thresholds Have Changed: Rationale

The thresholds have not been increased since 2019.  Since 2019, rising inflation has resulted in a number of transactions requiring notification to the CCPC and this has increased regulatory burdens for many businesses.

To combat this, the Government and CCPC believe that the revised merger thresholds will allow the CCPC to focus on high-value mergers that may impact the Irish market.

The New CCPC Notification Thresholds: New Thresholds

Under the new thresholds, companies must notify the CCPC where in the most recent financial year:

• the aggregate Irish turnover of all undertakings involved exceeds €100 million (this was previously €60 million); and
• the Irish turnover of each of at least two of the undertakings involved exceeds €15 million (this was previously €10 million).

What the Changes Mean for Businesses: What does this mean in practice?

The higher thresholds will result in less mandatory notifications to the CCPC and less administrative burdens on smaller transactions, which should reduce costs and administrative burdens for many businesses. Also, it will allow the CCPC to focus on higher value transaction that may significantly impact the Irish market.

However, the CCPC retains “call-in” powers, which allows it to review transactions that fall below the notification thresholds, as they may still raise competition concerns. The CCPC has already shown willingness to use its “call-in” power, as it was exercised for the first time on 20 March 2026 in a review into the acquisition of TouchStore Limited by Uniphar PLC.

Further, even where a transaction falls below the new thresholds, parties should consider whether a voluntary notification may be required, particularly where identifiable competition risks arise.

Conclusion

The introduction of the higher thresholds in Ireland will result in less frequent notifications to the CCPC, but parties to a transaction should complete competition risk assessments at the start of a transaction to ensure that they do not fall under the mandatory notification thresholds. They should also remain alert to the CCPC’s call‑in powers where sub‑threshold transactions may raise competition concerns.

For more information please contact Méabh Flynn.

The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other advice.