Qatar, Saudi Arabia Hold 1st Annual Meeting To Bolster Co-Operation in Competition

Doha hosted the first annual meeting between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) and the General Authority for Competition in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the aim of discussing ways to enhance co-operation in the field of competition.

Assistant Undersecretary for Consumer Affairs at the MoCI, Hassan bin Sultan al-Ghanim chaired the Qatari side, while Deputy CEO for Legal Affairs at the General Authority for Competition, Abdulaziz bin Mohammed bin Obaid chaired the Saudi side.

During the meeting, which was held recently, the mechanisms for implementing the provisions of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two sides were reviewed. This is the first of its kind to be established at the regional level to strengthen ties between the two sides and launch projects and initiatives of mutual benefit in line with the economic visions of the two fraternal countries on the horizon of 2030.

The meeting particularly addressed the mechanisms for implementing the executive programme of the MoU and the importance of maximising the benefit from the experiences gained by both sides in the field of enforcing laws and regulations related to competition, breaking monopolies, increasing awareness of the importance of compliance with them, and promoting the dissemination of the culture of competition, with a focus on the role of the private sector and its involvement to achieve a better understanding of the legislation in force in the two countries, and maintaining the advanced classification in the index of effectiveness of protecting competition and combating monopoly.

The two sides also discussed ways to enhance integration and bilateral work, recommending the necessity and importance of building national capacities on both sides through joint training courses and workshops.

The meeting included presentations that highlighted the impact of the interventions of the competition authorities in the two countries on economic sectors, activities, and consumers.

A lineup of officials and experts in the field of competition protection in the two countries attended the meeting, which produced an agreement to establish a joint working team to follow up on the implementation of initiatives and projects for the coming period, with a recommendation to start organizing joint training courses and workshops to exchange experiences and build capacities in the field.