Some sectors under the Competition Council’s scrutiny

Preparations The Competition Council (Conseil de la Concurrence) is to publish a number of opinions. It is important to note that these are not legal proceedings giving rise to financial penalties. Rather, they are an assessment of the state of competition in certain activities and their degree of compliance with regulations. Certain criteria can be used to assess the competitiveness of an economy: the absence of shortages, as is often the case in command economies, innovation, prices, level of market concentration around one or two companies…

Hence the interest of the notices which “ will be published shortly ” on the regulator’s website. One of them concerns “the future of the energy sector, particularly green hydrogen”, announced its chairman. “  We wanted to position ourselves by delivering our competitive vision. The idea is also to encourage investment, particularly in power plants. It is a complex game in which energy transport and distribution are also involved «, explained Ahmed Rahhou (see also L’Economiste no. 6748 of April 19, 2024). The Ministry of Energy, the National Electricity Regulatory Authority (ANRE) and operators were certainly invited to give their views on a sector where renewable energies are essential.  

Another study in progress concerns the fruit and vegetable trade, as well as the ghostly overhaul of wholesale markets. “ Intermediaries don’t necessarily carry out their mission efficiently. This raises the question of the fair sharing of value with producers (especially small farmers) «, said the spokesman of the Competition Council..
Other opinions are being prepared. They concern flour milling, construction, and fatty products (milk, cheese, etc.). Some sectors had already aroused the Council’s interest under Abdelali Benamour (2008-2018), mainly low-income housing and milk. The latter was the subject of opinion no. 42/13 of October 10, 2013. The Ministry for General Affairs and Governance had asked the regulator about competition in this sector. “ Its oligopolistic, even quasi-monopolistic operation would justify public intervention”, it had recommended ten years ago, before being endowed with its investigative powers from 2014. History moves on. Has the milk market changed as a result? This is the type of question that the future opinion must answer.

Faiçal FAQUIHI