11/05/2002
Al-Alam Alyom Newspaper 2002/MAY /11
After a long wait, the competition and anti-monopoly bill is supposed to be enacted soon. Some businessmen, though, believe it should first be somewhat amended. One of them is Dr. Nader Riad. In this article, he puts forward his own proposals to amend this piece of legislation. They concern the name of the bill, its purposes, the kinds of penalties it provides for, the definition of “market control”, and the creation of an agency entrusted with ensuring fair competition in the Egyptian market. (Available in Arabic – German in PDF)
The competition and anti-monopoly law has been long awaited by Egypt’s business sector. Its bill has been brought to the fore once more by the government, yet some businessmen believe it should be somewhat amended. First of all, according to Dr. Nader Riad, its name should be changed so that it really reflects the real purpose of this law (ensuring competition more than preventing monopoly, as not all kinds of monopoly are indeed harmful to the economy). He also thinks corporal punishment should be abolished and penalties should be only financial, as is the case in Europe. Always referring to the EU countries’ law, he goes on to define the concept of “market control” based on two criteria (the share of the specific market one controls and its value). Another very important item in this bill is the formation of an agency charged with enacting this law. Dr. Riad thinks its personnel must be highly qualified and their emoluments should be high, as this would spur them to do their best.