Complaint-Driven Competition Enforcement In The UAE

The UAE Ministry of Economy has published detailed Guidelines on the submission of competition complaints under Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2023 on the Regulation of Competition (the “Competition Law”). While the Competition Law has been in force since December 2023, the practical operation of complaint-based enforcement had, until now, remained relatively opaque.

The Guidelines provide much-needed procedural clarity. In the Guidelines, it is explained who may file a complaint, what types of conduct fall within scope, how complaints must be structured and substantiated, and how the Ministry of Economy will assess them at the admissibility stage. More broadly, they signal a shift toward a more disciplined, structured and predictable approach to competition enforcement in the UAE.