This research aims to
investigate the comprehensiveness of the competition laws in the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The study covers six countries: Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. A comparative
and gap analysis was used to identify the gaps and shortcomings in these
countries’ laws compared to best-practice competition laws. The focus of
analysis is on four key areas: (1) Authority Provisions, (2) Merger Control,
(3) Abuse of Dominance, and (4) Anticompetitive Agreements. The results
indicate that, overall, competition laws in the GCC countries have a high
coverage ratio of provisions that establish legal and institutional frameworks
to ensure fair competition in the market. However, there is significant
variation in coverage across the region, highlighting the need for
harmonization and improvement of these laws, particularly given the common
market arrangement shared by the GCC countries.