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ARTICLE · 03 JANUARY 2025

MENA Merger Control What's New In 2024

BREMER LF WLL
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2024 saw the announcement of several material developments in merger control regulation throughout the MENA region.

United Arab EmiratesAntitrust/Competition Law
Nicolas Bremer
Nicolas Bremer
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2024 saw the announcement of several material developments in merger control regulation throughout the MENA region. Some have been implemented, such as the introduction of the new Egyptian pre-closing notification merger control regime. Others significant developments—such as the introduction of turnover based notification thresholds in the UAE—remain pending. This client brief looks at the the most relevant developments in merger control regulations in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and COMESA.

Egypt

The Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA) started enforcing the new country's pre-closing notification merger control regime on 1 June 2024. Shortly before that—end of May—the ECA released new filing forms, as well as rudimentary guidelines including a new interpretation of the notification threshold as well as establishing a simplified review procedure.

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