In the Middle East, competition law is being increasingly enforced and new laws introduced. However, little has been said about how, if at all the role of economics will change.
CRA’s Muath Masri has written “Antitrust in the Middle East: New competition laws, and time for more economics?” for Concurrences’ Competition Law and Policy in the Middle East and North Africa, where he suggests three practical ways to integrate more economics in competition enforcement. These are: (i) greater engagement on economic analysis during investigations; (ii) publishing detailed decisions containing the analysis and evidence behind these decisions; and (iii) greater interaction between competition authorities and economists in private practice. Evidence-based enforcement with greater transparency on decisions will demonstrate the sophistication of the competition authorities and reduce uncertainty for businesses, which in turn increases incentives to invest in the region.
