Exchange Workshop on Competition Law

The Competition Council held, on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, in Rabat, an exchange workshop on competition law, dedicated to lawyers and accountants. This workshop, which saw the participation of eminent European experts, was an opportunity to discuss issues related to the legal mechanisms of market regulation and the modalities of interaction with the competition regulator.

During this meeting, Mr. Ahmed RAHHOU, President of the Competition Council, emphasized the key role of lawyers, legal advisors, and financial advisors in supporting the company, both preventively, to avoid breaking the law, and during the procedure before the Council’s instances, and finally after the notification of the Competition Council’s decisions that may be subject to appeal to the competent courts.

Mr. RAHHOU recalled the need to adhere to the principles of compliance with competition rules, a crucial prevention tool, while highlighting the decisive role of the lawyer and legal advisor in adopting a compliance program in the company’s strategy, bringing their expertise and legal knowledge to the table.

Furthermore, Mr. RAHHOU stressed the importance of adopting a preventive approach allowing the business world to avoid risks related to non-compliance with fair and free competition rules. The objective is to strengthen the culture of competition within companies so that they establish monitoring and surveillance procedures and tools to identify the aforementioned risks for better prevention.

In a pragmatic approach, the Competition Council also aims to work with the legal world to increase respect for competition law and create a jurisprudence database in this area, thus establishing a climate of trust and legal security for better visibility in the business world and for investors.

This workshop allowed the Competition Council to establish a fruitful initial exchange with those who advise and support the business world on legal and financial matters, which will be organized annually to sustain and strengthen ties with the players in the competitive ecosystem.

Finally, this workshop also saw the official launch of the institutional twinning concluded between the Competition Council and a consortium composed of the Hellenic Competition Commission, the Competition and Consumer Protection Authority of Poland, and the Competition Authority of Italy, as part of the implementation of the “Succeeding the Advanced Status Phase II” Program, aiming to strengthen the partnership between the Kingdom of Morocco and the European Union.