11 November 2021, Budapest – Csaba Balázs Rigó, President of the Hungarian Competition Authority, gave a presentation on the work and methods of the GVH at the St. Martin’s Conference at the invitation of the Chairman of the Czech National Competition Authority.

The St. Martin’s Conference of 10-11 November 2021 is the most important traditional annual event of the Czech National Competition Authority. In the opening discussion of the conference, Csaba Balázs Rigó, President of the Hungarian Competition Authority, discussed the latest developments in competition law and competition policy and the achievements of the Hungarian Competition Authority with the Director-General of the Austrian National Competition Authority and the Vice-Chairmen of the Slovak National Competition Authority and the host Czech National Competition Authority.

Csaba Balázs Rigó emphasized that despite the Covid-19 outbreak, the Hungarian Competition Authority had a number of tools at its disposal to protect the interests of consumers and to contribute to the recovery of the economy. The President of the GVH also presented how the Hungarian Competition Authority is taking action against price increases in the construction sector.

The new competition enforcement tool introduced in July 2021, the accelerated sector inquiry which may be launched with unannounced inspections, has attracted wide interest, as such an option does not exist in the surrounding countries. The President also presented concrete examples of how to best address the competition concerns while directly compensating consumers. 

Finally, Csaba Balázs Rigó briefly presented the results of the GVH's survey on sustainability and competition law prepared for the Annual Conference of the International Competition Network (ICN) this year.

GVH Press Office

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