Overhaul Of The UAE's Competition Law: Key Changes And Next Steps

On 29 December, 2023, Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2023 on the Regulation of Competition (the New Law) was issued, replacing Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2012 (the Old Law) and introducing a new merger control regime, including a number of new concepts which will potentially lead to parties in M&A transactions having to file merger control filings.

This article sets out the key points to note in the New Law. However, it is important to note that the New Law remains subject to the provisions of Implementing Regulations, which at the date of this article have not been published. Consequently, Article 39 of the New Law provides that the decisions, decrees and regulations issued pursuant to the Old Law shall continue to be effective until replaced. Once the Implementing Regulations have been published, we will provide an update to this article.