Irish barrister to take senior EU job as 'director general for competition'

"Anthony Whelan's professionalism will be essential to uphold what matters most in competition enforcement: objectivity, independence and equal treatment for all companies operating in Europe."

"The competition brief has become more fraught since Donald Trump's return as US president, with the current White House increasingly unabashed in its opposition to almost any EU enforcement action against US firms."

"Whelan has been an EU civil servant since 1995, initially at the Court of Justice of the EU in Luxembourg and since 2000 in a series of increasingly senior roles in the European Commission in Brussels."

"The Competition Commission is among the EU's most powerful arms, responsible not just for policy but enforcement, including famously imposing the controversial €13bn Apple tax decision on Ireland."

Anthony Whelan has been appointed as the new Director-General of EU Competition at the European Commission. His role is crucial for maintaining objectivity, independence, and equal treatment in competition enforcement across Europe. Whelan has a long history in EU civil service, having worked since 1995 in various capacities, including as a deputy director in the Competition Commission. The competition landscape has become more complex due to geopolitical tensions and economic challenges following the pandemic and the Ukraine crisis.

Read at Irish Independent