The declaration, which originally came into effect on 1 December 2010, was due to expire on 1 December 2022, but has been extended to allow for public consultation on an updated declaration to take place in early 2023.

Although vertical agreements which restrict competition are prohibited under section 4 of the Competition Act 2002, as amended, the legislation permits the CCPC to declare in writing that a specified category of vertical agreements, decisions or concerted practices are not prohibited by Irish competition law.

The current CCPC declaration closely resembles the EU’s Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER).

The VBER was updated by the European Commission earlier this year and the CCPC is now in the process of updating its declaration to reflect these changes.

A consultation will be held in early 2023 to consider the updated declaration and the CCPC said it will welcome the views of stakeholders as part of this process.