Abstract

Over the past decades competition laws have spread across developing countries, particularly the six Arab Gulf States members of a regional organization known as Gulf Cooperation Council. Despite the fact that the legislation in force seem to offer a wide arsenal of tools to combat anticompetitive conducts, the cases decided are still very few. The paper analyses the regulatory framework, and the role and powers of the competition Authorities established in each State. Due to the general lack of implementation, the article suggests the need for a harmonized set of rules at regional level - that can be used to aid the promotion of development and economic growth in such countries -, accompanied by the adoption of effective enforcement mechanisms of the antitrust rules.