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European Media Freedom Act: changes to Irish media merger review from 8 August 2025—‘significant impact’ test, broader scope and Coimisiún na Meán’s role

Published on: 13 June 2025

Published by a LexisNexis Ireland - Commercial expert
Legal News
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Article summary

From August 2025, Ireland will implement the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) (EU Regulation 2024/1083), marking a notable shift in the way media mergers are evaluated across the State...

What does the EMFA do?

The EMFA’s central objective is to bolster editorial independence and support cross-border trade. It also requires Member States to maintain a national framework to review transactions that could have a ‘significant impact on media pluralism and editorial independence’ (Article 22)...

What is the current position with media mergers in Ireland?

Since 2003, Ireland has operated a media merger review system under the Competition Act 2002 (as amended), applying both competition and media plurality tests. At present, media mergers are first notified to the European Commission under the EU Merger Regulation where relevant, or otherwise to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) on competition grounds. After clearance from either the Commission or the CCPC, the transaction must then be notified to the Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport on media plurality grounds. In summary, a media merger involves a merger where at least one of the...

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