There have been a number of developments in merger control in 2020 and Q1 2021. Some are related to the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, while others are borne out of the ambitions and changes sought by individual competition authorities or unexpected jurisprudence

There have been several interesting developments in merger control in the UK over the past year, including the official separation of the UK from the EU merger control regime and the proposal of a new national security regime that will see notification for certain transactions become mandatory in

FDI in the UK is covered by the National Security and Investment Act 2021, and in 2024 the government continued to update information and guidelines concerning the legislation.

Ireland’s Screening of Third Country Transactions Act entered into force on January 6, 2025.

Now into its second year of operation, the UK's National Security and Investment Act 2021 has become a standard feature of UK transactions for both foreign and domestic investors in certain sensitive sectors.

Ireland is expected to enact its FDI screening legislation in 2024.