The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) and the International Competition Network (ICN) are organizing a significant conference in Budapest from April 23-25, 2025, bringing together leading economists from 45 countries. The event aims to facilitate discussions on current competition policy trends and challenges, particularly those related to digital platforms and artificial intelligence.

Opening the conference, GVH President Csaba Balázs Rigó emphasized the importance of addressing the significant competition policy challenges posed by digital platforms and inflation fluctuations. He noted that competition authorities play a crucial role in mitigating the impacts of recent inflationary trends.

The ICN, established in 2001, serves as an informal forum for competition authorities worldwide to share experiences and practices. Currently, it includes 141 national competition authorities as members. The biennial meeting provides a platform for senior economists from competition authorities and prominent academic representatives to discuss the economic aspects of competition policy.

During the conference, experts from six continents will present on various topics, including the effects of digital platforms on market competition and consumer decision-making, modern cartel detection tools, evaluation methods for regulatory interventions, and the impact of artificial intelligence on market competition.

Rigó highlighted the necessity for competition authorities to discuss and adopt the latest methodologies to tackle new and increasingly complex challenges, such as illegal practices in the digital space and the rise of artificial intelligence. The GVH has been actively focusing on digital market processes and has conducted market analysis on the potential impacts of AI, providing recommendations for Hungarian legislation.

In line with its efforts to combat inflation, the GVH initiated a rapid sectoral investigation on April 15, 2025, into the domestic markets for milk, dairy products, and table eggs, considering the fluctuations in food prices.