5 November 2021, Budapest – The academic competition of the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) titled ‘Competition law in Hungary and in the EU’ has been concluded. The participants of the essay competition had the chance to become familiar with the most current issues of today’s competition law.

The GVH organised its academic competition for students in higher education titled ‘Competition law in Hungary and in the EU’ for the 22nd time this year with the aim of enabling the participating students to acquire comprehensive knowledge of competition law, competition policy, and industrial organisation during the preparation of their entry. The Authority sent its invitations to the competition not only to Hungarian universities but foreign faculties of law and economics offering programmes in Hungarian as well. The entries received were judged by the GVH based on a uniform system of criteria, which prioritised novelty and reliance on recent legal precedents.

The topic that proved to be the most popular among students was one of the most recent issues in competition law: the assessment of the so-called crisis cartels. During times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, crisis cartels may be exceptionally permitted from time to time and may even be necessary for the stability of the supply chains of essential products (such as medication) and the more efficient allocation of scarce resources, in addition to raising a number of dilemmas. However, the winning entry dealt with another, also current, topic: the assessment of arguments connected to sustainability and environmental protection when granting exceptions from the prohibition of cartels. This topic also received special attention during the global conference of competition authorities, recently hosted by Hungary.

This year’s competition was won by law students from the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE): similarly to the previous year, the students of this institution in Budapest achieved all three places on the podium. By doing so, the students of the ELTE have become the winners of the essay competition of the Authority for the sixth time in a row.

The results of the academic competition of the GVH titled ‘Competition law in Hungary and in the EU’ are available on the website of the Authority:

https://www.gvh.hu/gvh/versenykultura_fejlesztes/tanulmanyi_verseny/palyazati_eredmenyek/versenyjog-magyarorszagon-es-az-eu-ban-2021

GVH Press Office

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