IBEC supports open market competition to promote efficiency, innovation and output. Measures that suppress rivalry between competitors impose significant costs on the economy and dampen competitiveness. Therefore competition policy crucially underpins our ability to promote and sustain competitiveness.

Regulation is the implementation and enforcement of rules for the conduct of economic and business activities. It includes national and European legislation and decisions made by statutory bodies including sector specific regulators. Given that Europe drives so much of our regulation, it is important that we do not over-regulate or, indeed, ‘gilt-edge’ what European measures we are obliged to adopt.

IBEC is represented on the High Level Group on Business Regulation and is an active member of the group, driving reform and reduction of red tape. It is also involved with a number of other regulatory projects, including the review of the implementation of regulatory impact analysis initiated by the Towards 2016 social partnership agreement. IBEC nominates members to the following regulatory bodies;

• The High Level Group on Business Regulation
• The Company Law Review Group
• Irish Auditing and Accountancy Supervisory Authority
• Irish Pensions Board