Morocco’s Competition Council has published a detailed annual report painting a picture of intense regulatory activity in 2025, marked by a sharp rise in merger reviews, multi-million-dirham fines, and pointed interventions in key sectors ranging from food delivery to pharmaceuticals.
The regulator issued 202 decisions and opinions during the year, underscoring heightened vigilance over the functioning of national markets.
At the heart of this work was the control of economic concentrations. The Council handed down 190 formal decisions on mergers and acquisitions, a jump of more than 17 percent compared with the previous year.
The financial stakes involved exceeded 2,000 billion dirhams. While the overwhelming majority of these operations received clearance, most of the capital volumes originated from international deals involving foreign entities, even as significant amounts also supported Moroccan companies.
On the enforcement side, the competition watchdog imposed financial sanctions totaling more than 43 million dirhams.
Several high-profile cases centered on companies that failed to notify mergers in advance.
The Council also took decisive action in the fast-growing meal-delivery platform sector. A settlement with operator Glovo required the removal of exclusivity clauses deemed restrictive, greater transparency on ranking algorithms, and a strict cap on commissions charged to partner merchants.
Beyond its repressive role, the Council exercised its advisory function with a series of strategic opinions on sensitive parts of the economy.
Its analysis of food distribution circuits exposed significant tensions over gross margins on certain everyday consumer products. In response to recurring imbalances between suppliers and large retailers, the report calls for tighter regulation of commercial relations and greater transparency in price formation to protect the final consumer.
Structural challenges also emerged in major industrial markets. In the cement sector, high concentration of production capacity and substantial barriers to entry continue to weigh on competition.
Cereal processing suffers from structural dependence on imports and a subsidy system that sometimes distorts markets.
The Council recommends better targeting of public support and a gradual overhaul of assistance mechanisms for processing industries.
The pharmaceutical sector and the broader health supply chain received an equally uncompromising diagnosis. The report highlights financial strains that have weakened relations between wholesalers and retail pharmacists. Compressed margins and heavy operating costs, it argues, demand rapid modernization of the medicines supply chain.
