H1 Merger Notifications
In the first half of 2026 (“H1 2026”), the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (“CCPC”) received 44 merger notifications. This roughly represents a 13% increase on the 39 merger notifications received in the first half of 2025. The increase continues the high level of merger control activity seen by the CCPC and signals an increasingly active regulator and strong Irish transaction volumes.
However, on 1 July 2026 increased financial thresholds for mandatory CCPC filings came into effect in respect of transactions that complete on or following 1 July 2026 (see our previous article here), meaning that it is likely that there may be a reduction in the amount of mergers that are notified in the second half of 2026.
Looking at the 44 transactions notified to the CCPC during H1 2026 in closer detail:
- 30 notified mergers were cleared under the CCPC’s Simplified Merger Notification Procedure (“SMNP”), representing approximately 68% of all notifications during H1 2026 (up from approximately 54% in H1 2025).
- 13 mergers were subject to the Phase 1 review, of which ten mergers were cleared under the standard Phase 1 review procedure. The other three mergers were subject to a requirement for further information during an extended Phase 1 review – two such mergers have since been cleared (M/26/011 CLdN Links / Certain Assets of Samskip and M/26/003 Kingspan / Duggan Profiles), and one such merger is still under review following the provision of such further information (M/26/029 Uniphar / TouchStore (“Uniphar / Touchstore transaction”)). [1]
- One transaction, (M/26/002 CSG Group / Celtic Water) has been subject to a Phase 2 investigation (following a standard Phase 1 review). Phase 2 commenced on 21 May 2026 and, as of August 2026, the CCPC’s review remains ongoing with further information still been collected by the merging parties.
- Two media mergers were notified requiring back-to-back notifications to both the CCPC and Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment (M/26/027 Axel Springer/Telegraph Media Group and M/26/044 Bonnier/Business Post).
The average standard Phase 1 review took 28 working days in H1 2026, as against a statutory deadline of 30 working days – unchanged from H1 2025, continuing the CCPC’s efficient review timelines. The average review period under the CCPC’s simplified procedure was 11 working days, compared with 12 working days in H1 2025.
The average review period for the two cleared extended Phase 1 transactions notified in H1 2026 ((M/26/011 CLdN Links / Certain Assets of Samskip and M/26/003 Kingspan / Duggan Profiles), was 82 working days. The H1 2026 average is longer than what was the case in H1 2025, where the three extended Phase 1 investigations (namely, M/25/005 Errigal Group/Ganson Building & Property Holdings and M/25/035 Formpress Publishing/Connacht Tribune and M/25/037 Fiserv/AIB Merchant Services) averaged 70 working days. Both the 2025 and 2026 figures are in line with the increased delay that parties experience when the CCPC extends the standard Phase 1 process by issuing a request for information (“RFI”), which stops the standard Phase 1 clock and only restarts it once the parties have complied with the RFI.
CCPC’s First Use of its ‘Call-in’ Power
The CCPC’s review of the Uniphar / Touchstore transaction represents the first use of its merger call-in power since the power was introduced in 2022. Although the transaction falls below the mandatory merger notification thresholds, the CCPC exercised its powers to require notification and assess the transaction’s potential impact on competition concerns “in the wholesale pharmaceutical supply, pharmacy software and/or retail pharmacy sectors in Ireland.”
As of the time of writing, the CCPC’s review remains ongoing, with no final determination issued. Where the CCPC exercises its call-in power before completion, the transaction becomes subject to the standstill obligation under the Competition Act 2002 (as amended), preventing the parties from implementing the transaction until it has been cleared by the CCPC.
This case will be closely watched as the first precedent on the practical operation of the CCPC’s call-in power. Given the financial thresholds were increased in July 2026, the CCPC may make further use of this power going forward. For more information, see our previous article on this here.
CCPC Publishes Annual Report 2025
On 14 July 2026, the CCPC published its 2025 Annual Report which is its eleventh since the CCPC was established in 2014. Below are some key highlights on the merger control side:
- The CCPC notes that 90 mergers were notified in 2025, up 9.75% on 2024 and 32% since 2023. It completed 91 merger determinations, five with commitments required for clearance. Notably, two of these commitment-based clearances were secured at Phase 1 rather than Phase 2, which the CCPC attributes to early engagement and constructive solutions.
- Notifications were received across a broad range of sectors, with professional services remaining the most prominent sector, followed by manufacturing and construction. Professional services were also the leading sector in 2024, reflecting ongoing consolidation trends.
- The SMNP continued to account for the majority of merger reviews undertaken by the CCPC, accounting for almost 64% of merger determinations in 2025 (although falling slightly from 71.4% in 2024). Average clearance times under the procedure also improved slightly, from 13.29 working days in 2024 to 12.47 in 2025.
- The CCPC also featured a case study on its Phase 2 clearance of Phoenix Tower International’s acquisition of Cellnex Ireland Limited, where both parties operated in the passive infrastructure sector, managing portfolios of critical infrastructure for mobile network operators. The approved commitments were substantial: Phoenix agreed to divest sites in all areas where the merger would reduce competitors from three-to-two or two-to-one, as well as certain sites under development or identified for future development.
[1] Of interest is that the Uniphar / Touchstore transaction was the first use of the CCPC’s call in power.
