Ireland: Introduced amendment to Communications Regulation Bill 2022 defining high-risk vendors

On 25 October 2022, amendments were introduced to the Communications Regulation Bill 2022, transposing the European Union Directive Establishing the European Electronic Communications Code (Directive 2018/1972). The amendments would allow Irish authorities to exclude "high-risk vendors" from the Irish telecommunication market. In particular, the amendments would give the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communication the power to investigate the electronic communications networks and services providers to determine if they experience "interference by a third country". According to the Bill, third countries are states other than Switzerland, European Union Member States and the United Kingdom. Furthermore, the amendments would allow the Minister to issue orders prohibiting the installation of components produced and supplied by "high-risk vendors".