18 April 2023, Budapest – The Hungarian Competition Authority and nine further competition authorities from the region signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Warsaw to strengthen their partnership in the field of competition policy. The regional cooperation helps find responses to economic challenges more effectively including the instruments that can contribute to the combat against inflation.

In Spring 2022, the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) was the first to raise the issue of strengthening and institutionalising  professional relations among the competition authorities of the region at an international competition law conference organised under the Hungarian Presidency of the Visegrad Group. Following the idea - on the initiative of the Polish Competition Authority - the competition authorities of Hungary and seven other EU Member States of the region (Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia), and two EU candidate countries (Moldova and Ukraine) agreed on 18 April 2023 on their professional cooperation. On behalf of Hungary, the MoU was signed by Csaba Balázs Rigó, President of the Hungarian Competition Authority.

The primary objective of the closely cooperating competition authorities is to create a platform for sharing experiences on competition policy issues and good practices, and to foster regional partnership among the Participants. Under the cooperation, inter alia, expert working groups, joint training programs and annual presidential roundtable consultations will contribute to the common purposes of the region’s competition policy. The operative organisation is facilitated by a rotating presidency, which is first held by the Polish Competition Authority.

“The Hungarian Competition Authority plays a distinguished role in the area’s knowledge sharing, since we operate the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition in Budapest” – pointed out Csaba Balázs Rigó, President of the GVH when signing the agreement. “I am convinced that this new agreement helps to respond more effectively to recent challenges – such as the consequences of the war in the Eastern part of Europe, and the inflation that causes serious difficulties to our economies – to which competition authorities are permanently looking for the best possible solutions” – stated Csaba Balázs Rigó.

 GVH Public Service and International Section

 Further information:

Bálint Horváth, Head of Communication +36 20 238 6939

Katalin Gondolovics, Spokesperson +36 30 603 1170

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GVH Public Service and International Section

Further information:

Bálint Horváth, Head of Communication +36 20 238 6939

Katalin Gondolovics, Spokesperson +36 30 603 1170

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