Turkey’s Competition Authority to Regulate Digital Markets

Turkey’s Competition Authority (“Authority”) in its latest official announcement, stated that the Preliminary Report (“Report”) prepared within the scope of the “E-Marketplace Platforms Sector Review” initiated by the Competition Board (“Board”) on June 11, 2020 was opened to public opinion on May 7, 2021.

With this Report, it is aimed to identify possible competition problems in the sector and determine effective policy tools in combating them. It is also aimed to ensure that the benefits created by e-marketplaces, which have entered into a rapid growth trend in recent years and have become the leading actors of e-commerce in Turkey, are maintained in the long term.

According to a statement made by the Chairman of the Board (“Chairman”), the legislation in prospect will help revealing how data will be collected, how it will be used, and also will cover detailed awareness in that regard.

In addition, the Chairman, stating that the legislation in prospect is aimed to be implemented next year, evaluated in his statement that the competition problems that come with new business models related to the subject require an effective regulation and that they also need to adapt to this new order.

As per the statement given by the Chairman, it was also expressed that in the investigations carried out by the Authority until now, these concerns were increasingly penetrating the markets. In addition, it was emphasized that the Authority is aware of its responsibility and stated that two important studies that will take the pulse of the sector, such as the 'E-Marketplace Platforms Sector Review and the Online Advertising Services Sector Review', have reached its final stage.

Finally, the Chairman stated that they started to receive opinions from a wide range of individuals and institutions such as the Turkish Industry and Business Association, the Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association, and that they aim to implement the legislation in prospect in the first half of the next year.

Esra Temur, Ezgi Ceren Aydoğmuş