Competition, EU & Regulatory, Ireland

As part of the Eversheds Sutherland ‘Antitrust and EU Law Group’, regarded as one of Europe's leading competition/antitrust practices, our Competition, EU and Regulatory Team has been involved in a significant number of the more noteworthy and complex merger control and competition investigations in Ireland.

We provide a full suite of Irish and EU competition law and regulatory advices, including;

• Irish and EU Merger Control,
• Abuse of Dominance,
• Cartels,
• Dawn raids,
• Leniency applications,
• Foreign Investment Screening,
• Digital Markets Act,
• Competition law aspects of Commercial Contracts (including joint ventures; distribution agreements and supply agreements),
• Competition law compliance and training programmes,
• State aid,
• Regulatory investigations,
• Competition litigation,
• Consumer Protection Regulations,
• Broadcasting and Telecommunications.

Relevant experience includes;

• Advising on the high-profile joint venture, involving all the main banks in the Irish market, to develop a new mobile instant payments service for Ireland. The first joint venture between the main banks in the Irish market in more than 20 years.
• Advising a number of Private Equity Groups on all merger control aspects (including filings with the European Commission (EU Merger Control)) relating to the acquisition of two of Ireland’s primary toll roads.
• Advising on all aspects of the merger control process relating to the acquisition by one of the main Irish banks of a leading financial services firm (with assets of over Eur 8bn).
• Advising a US client on Merger Control and Investment Screening requirements across various jurisdictions in respects of its acquisition of a global e-Commerce company.
• Making submissions on behalf of a client to the European Commission in respect of the EU Vertical Block Exemption Regulation.
• Advising in respect of abuse of dominance, including the issuing of proceedings.
• Advising on follow-on actions for damages arising from the European Commission’s decision to fine certain truck manufacturers Eur 2.9bn for participating in a cartel.
• Advising clients on CCPC investigations, including undertakings proposed to the CCPC.
• Advising clients subject to dawn raids by the CCPC.
• Advising a multinational client on it grounds of complaint against a competitor refusing access.
• Advising on State Aid elements relating to a €350 million contract for an incinerator.

Notable awards