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ELITE Vol.1, Issue 32, June 2021 ﺔﻴﺑﺮ #

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"COVID crisis did not create monopolies in Egypt , it only
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intensified its existent trends"

Dr Mona further explained the situation as follows; it can be and the extent and scope of application may affect
said that the Egyptian market still has a lot to do to absorb the competition negatively if left unchecked, like what
competition protection law and prevent monopolistic practices, happened In the media sector and the control of the United
and this will eventually help the growth of the Egyptian Company over the media, and this is what the state is trying
economy and create more job opportunities and reassure to re-solve recently to restore competition between the
investors, whether Egyptian or foreign investors, that it can media production sectors, and thus the state’s intervention
work in the Egyptian market where there is fairness and method, the duration for which it lasts, and the approach it
transparency in standards and competition, and that the state follows, all of this affects the management of the
does not favor one investor over the other. competition process.

Crises have always been an opportunity for market manipulation Moving on, the state bears the responsibility for
and monopoly, and speaking of the crises, the closest and most implementing and managing huge national projects
widespread crisis nowadays is Covid-19, at the local and (especially in the real estate sector), which is an important
international levels. We asked Dr. Mona for her opinion on driver for achieving development, but it undoubtedly
the ongoing crisis, and the challenges imposed by the it on imposes major challenges on the freedom of the market and
the freedom of the market and the adequacy of competition. the role of the private sector. Therefore, we had to ask Dr.
Dr. Mona started off by explaining that crises, in general, are an Mona how can the negative impact of these challenges be
opportunity for some weak-minded people to carry out reduced? She stated that there must be rules for the state's
monopolistic practices, and the state has sought to provide practice of economic activity, with transparency in
information and fairness in the opportunities available to it
goods and aid to the private sector in production, especially in and the private sector, and there should be no advantages for
the areas of food, detergents, and hospital needs. However, government companies over the private sector; as this will
when it comes to Covid-19's crisis, its problem is that it caused negatively affect competition, and sometimes the state may
a disaster in the supply and demand market. Yet, that doesn't have the purpose of interfering in a specific sector for a
mean that this crisis was the original cause of the monopolistic while, such as the real estate sector, to work on providing
practices, because they existed before way before Covid-19 and housing units for people with limited income and this is
will continue after it; but it's still safe to say that the monopoly acceptable, but this is a specific role, so the longer the period
crisis was more violent under Covid-19. and the circumstances and the varying conditions, the greater
The greatest impact on competition was with the economic the damage to private sector companies; hence, it causes
reform program and the state's tendency to replace the private losses to the private sector if it cannot compete with state
sector in some activities, and it may be good in some areas for companies.
some time to solve some crises, but the method of its application

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