GVH held an international conference on green competition policy aspects

Organized by the national competition authority, on June 7, 2023, the Hungarian capital hosted the international conference on the role of environmental protection considerations in the application of competition law. The Economic Competition Authority is considered one of the pioneers of the topic, as the year before last it was the first to assess how and to what extent environmental sustainability considerations appear in competition law enforcement on a global level.

The conference discussed the issues of economic analysis and the domestic situation of the legal field in the framework of panel discussions, with the help of well-known competition law specialists. The topic of consumer welfare analyzes was covered by the leading economists of the Hungarian and Dutch competition authorities, the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition Policy, and the board member of the Greek competition authority, while the Hungarian legal practice was analyzed by an expert from the GVH and representatives of the Hungarian legal profession.

“GVH’s position can be summarized in three points. First, we are open to genuine green arguments. The Competition Act specifically stipulates that these can be taken into account as grounds for exemption from the cartel prohibition, and we are preparing to properly evaluate such arguments. For example, a general, crude reference to the protection of the environment as a goal is not sufficient – as happened in a domestic case – since sustainability is not a “magic word” that would push aside a rational evaluation in the case of violations that most seriously endanger competition. Second, we believe that the domestic legal environment and the European Union guidelines together create a suitable framework for the proper evaluation of such aspects. Third, we do not tolerate false green defenses; we do not tolerate greenwashing!”

– stressed Balázs Csaba Rigó, president of the Economic Competition Authority, in his speech opening the event.