The Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA) won the "Competition Policy Award" for its guidelines on vertical agreements at the fourth annual Arab Competition Network (ACN) conference held in Kuwait. ECA Chairperson, Mahmoud Momtaz, also received recognition for his role in establishing and leading the ACN. Momtaz chaired the conference's first session, "Competition Policies and their Economic Impact on the State," which featured speakers from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and competition authorities from Libya, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. In the third session, "Regional Cooperation and Combating Cross-Border Anti-Competitive Practices," Momtaz highlighted the importance of international collaboration. He noted that the ECA has signed 17 memorandums of understanding with competition authorities worldwide and presented examples of cross-border cooperation. He proposed developing platforms for sharing non-confidential information, activating existing memorandums, and holding regular meetings to coordinate investigations, particularly concerning multinational companies. Momtaz emphasized the ACN's role as a crucial platform for Arab states to cooperate on competition matters, particularly in addressing cross-border anti-competitive practices. He stressed the need for greater integration among competition authorities through the ACN and its working groups, advocating for unified enforcement of competition policies in specific markets and sectors, excluding the exchange of confidential information. He cited digital markets as an area where individual authorities face challenges in detecting and combating anti-competitive practices effectively. The conference also saw the announcement of winners of the third Arab Competition Simulation Model, an annual event organized by the ECA in collaboration with other Arab competition authorities under the ACN umbrella. The programme aims to train and qualify individuals to work in competition policy and raise awareness among students about competition laws in the Arab region. The ACN, launched in March 2022 under the auspices of the League of Arab States, was initiated by the ECA to foster dialogue and facilitate effective enforcement of competition policies and laws within the Arab region.
