According to the Competition Act besides competition supervision and competition advocacy the GVH is also responsible for the development of competition culture. The completion and coordination of works in connection with this are the tasks of the Competition Culture Centre (Versenykultúra Központ, VKK) which was established in 2005 within the organization of the Authority and which fulfils these tasks in accordance with its annual work plan. The work plan of the VKK for this year has been published recently.
With the development of the competition culture the GVH aims at providing information to legislators, undertakings taking part in competition and consumers, in order to help them to bring their conduct in compliance with competition provisions, to appreciate the public interest relating to competition, to take into account the aspects of competition in legislation and getting to know the role and the exact activity of the GVH. The GVH intends to reach a very large target audience, including students and tutors of higher education institutions, teachers and students in primary and secondary education, dealing with or interested in competition law or competition-related economic analysis; theoretical experts and researchers, judges making decisions in competition litigations, small and medium-sized enterprises having anything to do with the proceedings and with competition supervision activities of the Authority, as well as public administration employees and decision-makers engaged in one way or another in competition-related issues during their work, including Members of Parliament and their consultants too. The annual work plan of the VKK for 2008 includes the tasks projected for the period between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2008.
Apart from the activities focusing on the development of competition culture with the technical support of the GVH (Section I.), the work plan also contains programmes in the implementation of which the GVH relies on the contribution of other organisations to which it provides financial and, as circumstances may require, also technical support from its available budget (Section II.). The tendering concerning the subsidies will be announced soon.
I.The tasks of the VKK projected for 2008:
1.) The translation of foreign-language technical books to Hungarian and the publishing of them
It is important, that internationally recognised, significant technical books dealing with competition law, competition policy and market theory will also be available in Hungarian. The VKK when choosing certain technical books takes into account that the works published in Hungarian should give a summary of the current problems of competition law and competition policy and contain all the important cases of the international legal practice.
2.) The publication of educational brochures
The VKK contributes with easy-to-understand brochures to the widespread dissemination of information relating to the basic concepts of competition and competition law, the special competition features of certain sectors and markets. The aim of these brochures is to present the current questions and problems, which have been highlighted by the GVH recently. Depending on their size, the brochures are published as informing sheets or flyers, furthermore, their content is available on the homepage of the VKK (www.versenykultura.hu). Besides the brochures the VKK started publishing in 2005 a periodical dealing with competition law and competition policy named -Versenytükör-, which will also be published in 2008.
3.) The organization of programmes for professionals
The VKK considers the training and education provided by professional programmes two of the most important instruments of the information work relating to competition law, competition policy and market theory. Professional programmes of high standard contribute to the development of legal and economic activities of public interest in Hungary by promoting researchers engaged in competition law, competition policy and market theory to take part in domestic and international scientific activities.
4.) Presence in the media
The most effective way of informing a large target audience about the basic knowledge of competition policy and the protection of consumer choice, about the activity of the GVH and frequent questions interesting a great part of the society, is that making use of the mass media. The experiences approved that there is a demand for analysing and debating certain competition supervision decisions or statements made by the GVH in sector inquiries
5.) The developing of the libraries of higher education institutions by donating technical books
According to the VKK, the development of the libraries of the Hungarian higher education institutions providing education in connection with competition law, competition policy and market theory is essential in order to ensure the background material for the specialized higher education. Therefor the VKK provides these institutions with subsidies in order to develop their stock of technical books.
6.) Regular competition-related scientific researches
In 2008 the VKK is starting several scientific researches relating to competition. Like earlier, the survey examining the Hungarian competition culture continues, in 2008 however, instead of an overall survey, three smaller surveys will be carried out examining the public opinion about the proceedings of the GVH, assessing how well known the competition advocacy campaigns and the administrative activity of the GVH is. In 2007 the performance of a research started, the aim of which is to establish a databank monitoring the conditions and status of competition in Hungarian economy and the trends in the development of competition in Hungary (-Versenystatisztika-). Another issue dealt with by the VKK is the finishing and the annual publishing of an analysis, connected to the VKK, however written by independent experts, which assesses in detail the situation, conditions and effects of competition in general and in certain sectors (-Kaleidoszkóp-).
7.) Development of professional relations
The VKK intends to develop closer cooperation between the GVH and the key members of the academic-educational life relating to competition law and competition policy (particularly universities and organisations of universities).
8.) Cooperation in order to develop competition culture on the sectoral level
The cooperation agreements concluded in the past years by the GVH and various sectoral supervision authorities covered also cooperation relating to the development of competition culture, although the main purpose of these agreements was to create cooperation in legislative matters. The aim of the VKK is to establish a closer professional cooperation concerning competition culture between the GVH and the sectoral supervision authorities (National Communications Authority, Hungarian Energy Office, Hungarian Rail Office, Hungarian Financial Supervisory Authority).
9.) Providing the members of Parliament and their consultants, government experts, employees and municipalities with information on competition law and market theory
An aspect of the development of competition culture and the culture of consumer choice is to establish a legal environment promoting competition. One of the conditions of that is to increase the knowledge of legislators about competition policy, consumer choice and its protection.
10.) Supporting the work of judges engaged in competition cases
Judges may get in contact with the Competition Act in two territories: either in the case of the revision of administrative decisions made in competition supervision proceedings of the GVH, or in lawsuits. Since the last amendment of the Competition Act, the courts have had as a new task to decide in the case of certain lawsuits concerning competition law. Previously, only the GVH was entitled to proceed in competition (antitrust) cases, now in the case of competition infringements it is possible to bring the case before the civil court, increasing significantly the number of judges engaged in settlement of competition problems. Therefore, they need to know the competition-related professional literature. The VKK contributes to this with the development of the Information and Documentation Centre of the Hungarian Educational Academy for Judges and its library.
11.) Maintanance and development of the infrastructure of the VKK
The best way of providing information on the activity of the VKK is to maintain an informative, up to date and easy-to-use homepage. The development of the professional library of the GVH, also open to the public, belongs to the infrastructural developments of the VKK too.
12.) The -Versenykultúráért- award
The -Versenykultúráért- award (-Award for Competition Culture-) was founded to reward the activity of experts, working outside the GVH, who play a significant role in the development of competition culture. The award was given out both in 2006 and 2007.
II. Supporting the competition culture developing activity of other organisations
1.) Supporting the organisation and the membership of professional programmes
Besides the organising of various self-financed professional programmes, the VKK supports both technically (ensuring presentations by its staff members) and financially (through tendering) the programmes, presentations, conferences, professional forums, seminars and training programmes organized by others. The VKK also provides applicants with financial support in order to enable them to take part in professional programmes.
2.) Professional tendering in order to support researches relating to certain aspects of competition law, competition policy and consumer protection policy
The VKK announces professional tendering in order to develop competition and competition-related legal and economic activities of public interest. The aim of the VKK is, by supporting researches, to promote the functioning and the development of Hungarian science and competition law, competition policy, market theory and consumer choice related activities of public interest.
3.)The adjudgement of other subsidies
In order to develop competition and competition-related legal and economic activities of public interest, the VKK announces an open tendering targeting to support academic and educational projects not supported by other tender procedures by the VKK. The aim of the tendering is to promote the functioning and the development of science and competition law, competition policy and market theory related activities of public interest in Hungary, by supporting individual academic-educational projects in this field and by raising the demand for these projects.
4.) Supporting the activity of civil organisations and other organisations of consumer protection in order to develop the culture of conscious consumer choice
The development of the culture of conscious consumer choice is one of the main goals of the VKK, in order to raise consumer awareness. Organisations of the civil sector can play a key role in informing consumers, other members of competition, legislators and law-enforcers about competition, about the provisions of competition law and consumer protection, in representing and enforcing of the interests of consumers and in developing more effective competition and consumer protection policies. The VKK intends to support this activity.
5.) Nationwide tendering titled -Competition law in Hungary and in the EU- announced for students of higher education
It is the ninth time that the VKK announces the nationwide tender procedure -Competition law in Hungary and in the EU- for non-postgradual students of higher education.
1. Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia
1. Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia
III. The activity of the OECD-Hungary Regional Centre for Competition in Budapest
The VKK is responsible for the tasks that are assumed by the OECD-Hungary Regional Centre for Competition (OECD-Magyar Versenyügyi Regionális Oktatási Központ, ROK) in Budapest, established by the OECD and the GVH on 16 February 2005. The ROK is an autonomous unit of the VKK with its own tasks and an independent budget. The primary goal of the ROK is to contribute to the development of competition policy and competition culture and to support the work of the competition authorities of the target countries , thus contributing to the increase of competition and to the growth of economy. The ROK achieves these aims mainly through seminars and conferences. The ROK organizes programmes for four target groups. It announces four middle- or advanced level seminars a year for the personal of the competition authorities of the countries in Eastern Europe and in the Balkans. Only one programme similar to this will be organized annually for the authorities being members of the Central European Competition Initiative (CECI), for European judges and the staff members of the GVH.
Budapest, 11 January 2008
Hungarian Competition Authority
Communication Group
Further information:
András Mihálovits
Hungarian Competition Authority
Address: 1054 Budapest, V., Alkotmány u. 5
Postal address: 1245 Budapest 5, POB 1036
Tel: +36-30 618-6618
E-mail:
Mihalovits.Andras@gvh.hu
http://www.gvh.hu