Ireland: Government, Public Sector

A leading Irish law firm's Competition and Regulated Markets Group provides comprehensive merger control advisory services, handling complex cases before the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and European Commission. The team also navigates Ireland's foreign direct investment screening regime, assisting international investors and Irish businesses with national security and public order considerations in cross-border transactions.

The European Union has introduced sweeping reforms to foreign direct investment screening that will fundamentally reshape how Member States, including Ireland, review cross-border transactions for security and public order concerns. These changes establish a harmonised baseline for mandatory notifications, introduce coordinated timelines for multi-country deals, and create enhanced information-sharing mechanisms across all 27 Member States. Ireland's recently implemented FDI screening regime will need to ad

Ireland's foreign direct investment screening regime has completed its first full year of operation, generating significant activity across critical sectors. The 2026 Guidance introduces important procedural changes, including a shift to control-based notification triggers, while the EU's newly adopted Revised FDI Screening Regulation and proposed Industrial Accelerator Act will introduce additional layers of regulatory scrutiny for cross-border transactions.

The European Union's evolving regulatory landscape for artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and health data is creating new compliance challenges and opportunities for life sciences organizations. From the AI Act's refinements to the delayed NIS2 Directive transposition in Ireland, stakeholders must navigate multiple intersecting frameworks while preparing for the European Health Data Space Regulation's implementation.

Ireland assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at a pivotal moment, with a six-month agenda centered on competitiveness, values, and security. The programme emphasizes simplification of existing frameworks, resilience across critical sectors, and preparation for the EU's next long-term investment cycle through 2034.

A recent US Supreme Court decision has cast doubt on the independence of the Federal Trade Commission, potentially undermining the legal foundation of the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. The ruling allows the President to remove FTC commissioners without cause, raising questions about whether the framework still provides EU data subjects with adequate protection. Privacy advocacy groups are already preparing legal challenges that could invalidate this third iteration of transatlantic data transfer arrangement

Ireland's position as a FinTech hub makes it an attractive jurisdiction for payment institutions seeking authorisation.

The Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism's (AMLA) consultation on draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) on pecuniary sanctions...

The global security landscape remains highly unstable, shaped by ongoing conflicts and intensifying geopolitical tensions. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza continue to shape the wider international defence landscape...

The European Committee of the Regions adopted its evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives in the context of the revision of the Public Procurement Directives. The European Commission is scheduled to have an orientation debate on 3 June 2026 and to announce the Public Procurement Act on 3 July 2026.

Further steps have been taken to transpose into Irish law the Recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. Our briefing on two new sets of Irish Regulations is available here: Ireland transposes key reforms for BER regime.

The first Annual Report (2025 Annual Report) regarding the operation of the Screening of Third Country Transactions Act 2023 (the 2023 Act)...