The Competition Weeks (CWs) are an interactive 5-day gathering of competition officials from Africa and the EU alongside academics and practitioners. The CWs represent the main forum of discussion and exchanges on EU Competition Law and Policy between the European Commission Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP) and African national and regional competition authorities in Africa.
The CWs follow different formats – either online or “in-person” – depending on the sanitary situation due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
In terms of content, while the First CW tackled the main aspects of EU competition policy and enforcement, the Second CW zoomed into one or several aspects of the First CW. In both cases, the programmes entailed dynamic live sessions but also workshops and panel discussions in which participants were encouraged to actively participate. EU officials and academics from Africa and the EU lead the different sessions and debates, covering a wide range of topics, such as market definition, cartels, abuse of dominance, state aid control as well as mergers and acquisitions.
The third edition of the Africa-EU CW, which takes place in September 2024, will provide a platform for dialogue focusing of the assessment of key competition practices and their underlying legal frameworks. The week will help promoting international cooperation and fostering fair competition policies and enforcement worldwide for the benefit of consumers and companies across Africa and the EU.
The agenda of the CWs is tailored to the needs and interests of African partners. Sessions combine theory with practical experience in the form of cases and examples to stimulate discussions. Participants are encouraged to discuss approaches and their own experience in their respective jurisdictions with their counterparts.
All officials from African national and regional competition authorities as well as officials working for the African Union or AfCFTA Secretariat are invited to attend the Competition Weeks. A maximum of 100 participants (for the online CW) and a maximum of 60 participants (for the in-person CW) are accepted.
Sessions are conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation in English/French. Participants are provided with complementary materials in English.
