Competition policy’s role in the economic recovery process from the Covid-19 pandemic crisis—insight from UNCTAD

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak disrupted markets and had a serious negative impact in economies across the world. Competition Authorities were at the forefront of initial public response measures through strong law enforcement and active market monitoring actions, temporary exemptions from competition provisions, merger control procedural adjustments and advocacy, an increasingly important function vis-à-vis Governments and all relevant stakeholders. Competition law and policy have therefore remained highly relevant during this period in both developed and developing countries. Current common challenges faced are raised by the increased digitalization of the economy and the dominance of digital platforms, especially considering the number and market share of micro and Small and Medium Sized enterprises (SMEs), the most seriously affected by the pandemic lockdown measures. Several jurisdictions and international organizations are equipping themselves with new legislation and instruments to address these challenges, namely supporting SMEs fair access to digital markets and promoting competitive public procurement, but less experienced and resource-constrained authorities of developing countries must prioritize otherwise. Competition advocacy is now more than ever a priority for them so that the economic recovery packages preserver open, fair, and equitable markets. International cooperation, bringing together developed and developing countries authorities, provides a crucial framework of support especially at this time. UNCTAD is particularly well placed to support developing countries’ Competition Authorities contributions to “building back better” in times of crisis.