Csaba Balázs Rigó highlighted that: "Mutual dialogue is essential in addressing today's global challenges"
Budapest, 6 December 2024 – Experts from the Hungarian Competition Authority (Gazdasági Versenyhivatal - GVH) addressed a number of pressing issues at the winter session of the OECD's Competition Committee, also known as the OECD Competition Week. During the meeting, Csaba Balázs Rigó, President of the GVH, presented the 2024 annual report of the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition in Budapest (RCC) and outlined the programme for the upcoming year. Both the report and the programme were approved by the Competition Committee. The GVH is actively working to expand the number of RCC beneficiary countries, with Uzbekistan most recently joining the list.
The winter session of the Competition Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was held in Paris on 2-6 December 2024. The OECD Competition Week was also attended by the Hungarian Competition Authority.
During the week, experts from the GVH contributed to the exchange of experiences on three topics at the so-called “good practice roundtables”. These topics covered merger experiences, the jurisprudence of Hungarian courts in competition cases, and the current competitive landscape of the food supply chain in Hungary.
Csaba Balázs Rigó, President of the GVH, presented the 2024 report of the GVH's and the OECD's joint Regional Centre for Competition in Budapest (RCC) and outlined next year's programme. The RCC was established on 16 February 2005, with the primary aim of providing support in the field of competition law and competition policy to competition authorities in Eastern and South-eastern Europe and Central Asia, leveraging the expertise of both institutions. There three training centres in the world, one in Budapest, one in Peru, and one in the Republic of Korea.
Csaba Balázs Rigó underlined that: "In 2024, we have further expanded our international network. With Uzbekistan joining, the number of beneficiaries of our Regional Competition Centre in Hungary has increased to seventeen. We strive to provide the most effective competition law training to the experts of the beneficiary countries, enabling them to enhance law enforcement work in their respective countries."
The joint OECD-GVH training centre has organised six seminars so far in 2024 and will hold an additional training course in December. In total, around 250 participants from 22 countries have attended the seminars, with 38 experts sharing the latest experiences and knowledge on competition law and economics. The beneficiary countries of the RCC include Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, and now Uzbekistan.
The Budapest Training Centre will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2025. Over this period, the Centre has organised more than 150 events – including training courses for judges, presidential meetings, and competition law seminars – attended by approximately 5,400 experts. The RCC is preparing for 2025 with its full portfolio of programmes, including newsletters, educational videos, and a total of seven international seminars. More information on the activities of the RCC is available on the websites of the Hungarian Competition Authority and the Regional Centre for Competition.
GVH Public Service Communications Section
Further information:
Bálint Horváth, Head of Communication +36 20 238 6939
Katalin Gondolovics, Spokesperson +36 30 603 1170