EU Directives

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 December 2017

Thursday, 14 December 2017

Ceisteanna (295)

Niall Collins

Ceist:

295. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the estimated timetable for the Irish national transposition of the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council, COM(2017)142 final 2017/0063 (COD), to empower the competition authorities of the member states to be more effective enforcers; and if officials in her Department have reviewed whether implementation of this directive will empower the CCPC to issue civil financial sanctions. [53678/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

The proposal referred to by the Deputy is currently being discussed at EU Council Working Group level in Brussels. Agreement on the proposal is unlikely to be achieved until mid-2018 at the earliest. When agreed, the final text will specify a deadline by which Member States must transpose the Directive. The original proposal, as presented by the EU Commission, proposed a two-year period for transposition.

On the issue of national administrative competition authorities (such as the CCPC) being granted the power to impose fines, if this power is part of the final agreed text, this will apply to the CCPC.