President Csaba Balázs Rigó emphasised the importance of international collaboration in Athens
Budapest, 20 October 2025 – The Hellenic Competition Commission (HCC) marked its 30th anniversary with an international professional conference held in Athens. Among the keynote speakers was Mr. Csaba Balázs Rigó, President of the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH), who underlined the pivotal role of international cooperation by stating: „The Hungarian national competition authority aims to serve as a driving force in fostering international competition policy collaboration.” One of the key highlights of the event was the signing of a bilateral memorandum of understanding between the Greek and Hungarian competition authorities, further strengthening the long-standing professional ties between the two institutions.
The international conference, held on 20 October 2025 in Athens, aimed to provide a platform for academics and competition authority representatives to reflect on three decades of development in competition law—particularly in Greece and Europe—and to address the challenges of the future. The event placed a strong emphasis on the importance of international cooperation in the context of globalisation and digitalisation, as well as on the evolving role of independent authorities.
President Csaba Balázs Rigó participated in the opening panel discussion of the conference alongside the heads of the German, Spanish, Austrian, and Dutch competition authorities, as well as the Deputy Chair of the Hellenic Competition Commission. During the discussion, he highlighted: „Robust yet fair market competition is the cornerstone of modern economies and a key driver of competitiveness. Just as in sport, only under conditions of intense competition can true national, European, and global champions emerge in the business world.” He further added: „In the past 30 years, competition policy and competition law in Central and Eastern Europe have undergone remarkable development, which now serves as a strong foundation for the region’s competitiveness.”
As a central element of the conference, the GVH and the Hellenic Competition Commission signed a bilateral professional cooperation agreement. The two authorities have maintained close collaboration for decades within the framework of the European Competition Network (ECN), which facilitates procedural coordination and the exchange of expertise. The newly signed agreement in Athens seeks to further deepen the professional knowledge-sharing between the two institutions and to support the implementation of joint projects. „International professional cooperation plays a key role in addressing global challenges. The Hellenic Competition Commission has long been a valued partner in this effort, and with today’s agreement, our professional ties have grown even stronger.” – emphasised President Csaba Balázs Rigó following the signing ceremony in Athens.
GVH Committed to Broad International Cooperation
The GVH is actively engaged in the European Competition Network (ECN) and the global International Competition Network (ICN), where President Csaba Balázs Rigó is a standing member of the Steering Group. The Hungarian authority is also involved in the working groups of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) and has been jointly operating a regional training centre in Budapest with the OECD for over 20 years. In addition, the GVH holds
2observer status in the professional cooperation platform of competition authorities of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), which last convened in Budapest in April 2025. In September 2025, President Csaba Balázs Rigó was also a keynote speaker at a prestigious competition policy forum in Beijing, where he emphasised: „Bloc-based thinking kills competitiveness.”
Further information:
Bálint Horváth, Head of Communication +36 20 238 6939
Katalin Gondolovics, Spokesperson +36 30 603 1170