Egypt Amends its Competition Law to Establish a Pre-Merger Control System

Egypt has amended its competition law to create a robust pre-merger control system, built largely on the European model.

The amendment creates certainty and clarity regarding the need for pre-merger approval, after the Egypt Competition Authority tried to exercise such powers in 2017 in the absence of clear authority to do so.

This is a much-needed step in light of the increasing number of cross-border acquisitions taking place in the Egyptian market.

The implementation of the new regime will have to balance multiple factors and will depend greatly on the executive regulations expected to be issued soon.