The Hungarian Competition Act determines the role and responsibility of the GVH in the development and dissemination of competition culture and a consumer awareness culture. When developing the competition culture and consumer culture in Hungary the primary role of the GVH is to facilitate the existence of a legal environment that supports the social acceptance of competition, compliance and conscious consumer decision-making, and to enhance consumer awareness. Accordingly, the GVH is entrusted with the following tasks:
- raising public awareness of competition policy and conscious consumer decision-making and its protection, as well as
- personally contributing to the development of competition-related legal and economic activities of public interest.
In addition to its competition supervision and competition advocacy activities, the development of competition culture and consumer culture constitutes the third pillar of the GVH's activities aimed at protecting economic competition. The Hungarian Competition Act provides the required financial conditions for the GVH's increased role in the development of competition culture. The Act stipulates that the authority can use five per cent of the total amount of the fines collected in the preceding year for such purposes.
The execution and coordination of activities related to the development of competition culture and consumer culture, and the identification of necessary actions for such purposes are entrusted to the Competition Culture and Communications Section. The tasks of the GVH in relation to competition culture development are defined in its annual work plan. It endeavours to reach the goals defined by law on the one hand by organising and operating programmes – utilising the professional background of the GVH – which serve to develop competition culture and consumer awareness; and by supporting the work of other organisations and persons – via tenders – which contribute to the development and dissemination of consumer culture. The GVH intends to reach, through its activities implemented in the framework of competition culture development, a target audience which includes students and tutors of higher education institutions dealing with or interested in competition law or competition-related economic analysis and consumer decision-making; teachers and students in primary and secondary education who are interested in competition-related topics; theoretical experts and researchers; undertakings having any contact with the proceedings and competition supervision activities of the Authority, especially small and medium-sized enterprises; 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 also their consultants.
The tenders announced by the GVH and their documentation, as well as the most important details of the winning tenders and the results of the sponsored projects, are available on the website of the GVH in Hungarian.