The Greek economy is in a prolonged downturn. Following a sovereign debt crisis, GDP has contracted for six successive years and the rate of unemployment rose to 26% in late 2012. Severe structural problems underpin the economic crisis, including poor competitiveness. Prices in many sectors are not falling, suggesting competition problems that will add to the hardship of poorer consumers as their incomes fall.  Longer term, uncompetitive markets harm growth. The OECD’s product market regulation indicators suggest that in Greece many of the constraints on competition arise from regulation.

Against this background, the Greek government has asked the OECD to conduct an assessment of regulatory constraints on competition in four sectors: tourism, retail trade, food processing and construction materials.

The process

Making use of the methodology in the Competition Assessment Toolkit, a project team composed of competition experts, economists and lawyers from OECD and the Hellenic Competition Commission will complete an assessment of the costs and benefits of regulations restricting competition in the designated sectors and propose specific recommendations for change. 

Stakeholder involvement is central to the work of the OECD and the project team will be working closely with the Ministry of Development, Competitiveness, Infrastructure, Transport and Networks and other key stakeholders throughout.  A High-level Committee of seven secretaries general from the relevant ministries has been appointed to oversee and support the work of the project team. These High-level Committee members will also play an important role following completion of the project as they will be in charge of implementing the policy recommendations proposed.

Building capacity

Working alongside the project team in Athens will also build the capacity of officials from the government and the Hellenic Competition Commission to conduct competition assessment independently in line with international best practices through the application of the Competition Assessment Toolkit. The substantive knowledge they gain can then be applied to similar exercises in other sectors or to new laws and regulations.

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Competition Assessment Toolkit

OECD Recommendation on Competition Assessment

Pro-competitive Policy Reforms

Liberalisation and competition intervention in regulated sectors

OECD Competition Main Page

Left to right: Mr. Lazaros Tossounidis, Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Administrative Reform & Electronic Governance; Mr. Panos Karvounis, Chief Representative of the European Commission in Athens; Mr. Manousos G. Voloudakis, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Administrative Reform & Electronic Governance; Mr Antonis Manitakis, Minister, Ministry of Administrative Reform & Electronic Governance; Mr. Kostis Hatzidakis, Minister, Ministry of Development, Competitiveness, Infrastructure, Transport and Communications; Mr Luiz de Mello, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary-General, OECD

Left to right: Mr. Kostis Hatzidakis, Minister, Ministry of Development, Competitiveness, Infrastructure, Transport and Communications; Mr Luiz de Mello, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary-General, OECD