OECD Peer Reviews are founded upon the willingness of a country to open its laws, institutions, and enforcement practices to scrutiny by the international competition community. This process provides the reviewed country with practical, comparative insights and fosters transparency, mutual learning and the promotion of global best practices. As international consensus grows around effective competition law enforcement and the importance of pro-competitive reforms, Peer Reviews remain a vital tool to support sound policy design and institutional development. Strong and effective competition institutions are essential for safeguarding market competition, fostering innovation and promoting long-term economic growth.
The Peer Review process follows two main stages. First, an in-depth report is prepared by the OECD Secretariat analysing the legal framework, institutional set-up and enforcement performance of the competition authority. Second, the findings are discussed in a peer review session held within the OECD Competition Committee or the OECD Global Forum on Competition. The process ensures that the reviewed country receives constructive, balanced feedback grounded in international standards and enriched by the experience of other jurisdictions.
This Peer Review of Kazakhstan marks the second such review of the country’s competition law and policy, following the first OECD Peer Review conducted in 2016. It assesses ten years of developments and reforms, identifying both progress achieved and remaining challenges. The review forms part of Kazakhstan’s broader efforts to strengthen market institutions, improve economic governance and align its regulatory environment with international best practices.
A key component of the process was the fact-finding mission to Kazakhstan, during which the OECD team engaged directly with national stakeholders—including the competition authority, sectoral regulators, ministries, the judiciary, business community and academia. These consultations were instrumental in capturing the practical realities of enforcement, legal interpretation and institutional coordination.
The review benefited greatly from the comments and insights of the lead examiners: Viviana Blanco Barboza (Costa Rican Competition Commission), Hara Nikolopoulou (Hellenic Competition Commission), and Bogdan Chiritoiu (Romanian Competition Council). The findings and recommendations were presented and discussed during the 146th meeting of the OECD Competition Committee on 20 June 2025 and were subsequently approved by written procedure on 5 September 2025.
The report was prepared by Ania Thiemann from the OECD Competition Division, with research assistance from Ayana Manassova, Jan Krajnik and Christine Kim. It benefited from comments by Antonio Capobianco from the OECD Competition Division, as well as from the three lead examiners mentioned above. Additional comments were received with thanks from Mary Chamilou (Hellenic Competition Commission), Zoe Karathanasi (Greek Delegation), Oana Maria Neg (Romanian Competition Council) and the Global Relations and Co-operation Directorate (OECD). The effective co-operation of the Kazakh authorities, in particular the Agency for the Protection and Development of Competition of the Republic of Kazakhstan, significantly contributed to the quality and comprehensiveness of this review. Valuable insights were also provided by representatives of the judiciary, competition law practitioners, academic experts, economists, business associations and international organisations.