25 February 2014: The Autorité de la concurrence signs today a cooperation agreement with the Algerian Competition Authority (hereinafter referred to as the Conseil de la concurrence)
Bruno Lasserre, President of the Autorité de la concurrence, and Amara Zitouni, President of Algeria’s Conseil de la concurrence have concluded a framework cooperation and institutional support agreement, in the presence of Amar Bendjama, the Ambassador of Algeria to France, and several members of the Conseil de la concurrence. This agreement expands the particularly close working relationship between the parties.
A long-term close cooperation
Algeria’s Conseil de la concurrence, which was created in 1995 and reactivated on 29 January 2013, is an autonomous administrative authority acting in the name and on behalf of the Algerian State in order to ensure that competition rules are fully complied with. Its effective reactivation is the result of reforms implemented successively in June 2008 and August 2010.
The Autorité de la concurrence has closely collaborated with its Algerian counterpart within the framework of a twinning arrangement implemented in February 2011, through funding from the European Commission, for a duration of nearly two years. This arrangement was implemented as part of the Association agreement between the European Union and Algeria.
Under this arrangement, the Autorité de la concurrence has conducted a series of training activities, with the help of Germany’s and Italy’s Competition authorities. These activities first benefited the staff of concerned ministries and sector-specific regulators, as well as judges. From October 2012, they also concerned future case officers. Overall, they involved more than 30 experts. A study visit to Algiers was also organised at the end of 2012. It provided room for discussion with the future members of the Board of the Conseil de la Concurrence. Finally, the Autorité de la concurrence welcomed the Algerian officials and case handlers so as to familiarise them with its working methods in the field. The Autorité also took part in the drafting of guidebooks and a glossary aimed at ensuring that the benefits from the training were sustained and being appropriated by stakeholders.
Upon the completion of this twinning, the Presidents of both institutions have wished to actively pursue this cooperation relationship in a bilateral way. The agreement concluded today will thus serve as a framework for the implementation of activities of common interest in the field of competition law and policy, with the Autorité de la concurrence providing support for training and strengthening the skills of the members, case officers and staff of Algeria’s Conseil de la concurrence. More generally, the Autorité de la concurrence supports the integration process of the Conseil de la concurrence in the international competition community, both in the frameworks of the International Competition Network that the Conseil de la concurrence joined in December 2013, and of the OECD Global Forum on Competition to be held this month in Paris.