The Hungarian Competition Authority and the OECD Regional Centre for Competition in Budapest are holding a two-day training course to prepare Hungarian competition professionals to deal with the uncertain economic environment in the wake of the crisis. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Csaba Balázs Rigó, the President of the GVH, stressed that "we are protecting the interests of Hungarian consumers".

Since 2005, the GVH has been operating the Regional Centre for Competition in Budapest in cooperation with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which builds on the expertise of the two organisations to provide support in the field of competition law and policy to the countries of the Central and Eastern European region.

The Budapest seminar of the Training Centre, which started on 18 October 2022, aims to train professionals from the domestic competition authorities, with the participation of experts from foreign competition authorities, the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the European Union. The aim of the two-day training is to enable Hungarian professionals to consult the experience of leading European competition authorities and institutions in the current increasingly uncertain economic environment, and to identify the most effective solutions for Hungary to meet the new challenges. The experts will discuss how the functioning of competition authorities can contribute to economic recovery and growth in uncertain times, and what particular challenges exist in the field of consumer protection, among other issues. The two-day training can provide an opportunity for Hungarian experts to discuss the latest European experiences and to discuss the practical issues with the invited participants in an informal setting.

"The economic shock caused by the pandemic, the disruption of trade chains due to the war in Ukraine and the misguided sanctions policy in Brussels have had a significant negative impact on our economy - both in Hungary and in the rest of the world, especially in Europe. All this is also creating difficulties for millions of Hungarian consumers, whose interests we are protecting", stressed Csaba Balázs Rigó, the President of the Hungarian Competition Authority, in his opening speech. "A strong competition policy is particularly important in times of crisis to ensure that the economic crisis is resolved and that the recovery should be as rapid and sustainable as possible. Competition authorities must therefore act without delay to support governments in managing the crisis in a sustainable way and pave the way for recovery," said Csaba Balázs Rigó, who also thanked the foreign speakers at the event.

Following the seminar, the joint regional training programme of the GVH and the OECD will continue in November in Budapest with the training of judges, also supported by the European Commission, as planned last autumn.