ESCWA Publication: E/ESCWA/CL3.SEP/2021/TP.14
Country: State of Kuwait, Kingdom of Morocco, Sultanate of Oman, Republic of Tunisia
Publication Type: Working papers
Cluster: Governance and Conflict Prevention
Focus Area: Trade & regional connectivity
Initiatives: Improving competition and protecting consumers
Keywords: Economic development, Economic integration, Competition, Competition policy, Laws and regulations, International trade law
Trade and competition in the Arab region: reality and prospects for a competitive Arab market
February 2022
There is a growing trend to incorporate provisions related to competition policies into the differential trade agreements globally and in the Arab region. However, the disparities are clear in the effectiveness of such provisions concerning competition and different levels of development among the member States in the differential trade agreements. In the Arab region, most competition laws lack for consistency with the obligations of States in bilateral and regional trade agreements.
This study focuses on discussing the current competition policies and their characteristics and reviewing their consistency with the terms of differential trade agreements concluded by most Arab countries, within and outside the region. It also highlights the progress made in multilateral negotiations on competition laws in the global trade and looks forward to evaluating Arab experiences in the field of competition provisions and policies in differential trade agreements. The study also deals with measuring market power through a sample of the productive sectors in a specific group of Arab countries. It also presents a set of recommendations to improve the business environment and develop competitive policies in line with the requirements of Arab economies.
Related content
Trade & regional connectivity
,
There is a growing trend to incorporate provisions related to competition policies into the differential trade agreements globally and in the Arab region. However, the disparities are clear in the effectiveness of such provisions concerning competition and different levels of development among the member States in the differential trade agreements. In the Arab region, most competition laws lack for consistency with the obligations of States in bilateral and regional trade agreements.
This study focuses on discussing the current competition policies and their characteristics and reviewing their consistency with the terms of differential trade agreements concluded by most Arab countries, within and outside the region. It also highlights the progress made in multilateral negotiations on competition laws in the global trade and looks forward to evaluating Arab experiences in the field of competition provisions and policies in differential trade agreements. The study also deals with measuring market power through a sample of the productive sectors in a specific group of Arab countries. It also presents a set of recommendations to improve the business environment and develop competitive policies in line with the requirements of Arab economies.
