Features

The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets published new guidelines in July 2020 detailing how pro-environmental initiatives – such as agreements among competitors to reduce emissions – could be exempted from cartel rules. The authority’s chair Martijn Snoep spoke to Emily Craig about taking the lead on sustainability and competition, the risk of a fragmented EU approach and whether the agency’s guidelines should have gone further.

17 December 2020

As the European Commission and several other national enforcers examine what role they should play in helping businesses to achieve sustainability goals, Charley Connor explores what conclusions have already been reached and asks if competition policy can – and should – help foster such initiatives.

17 December 2020

Brent Snyder stepped down as the chief executive of Hong Kong’s Competition Commission on 28 November after more than three years in the role. He sat down with Charles McConnell just days before departing the agency to discuss the precedent set during his tenure and the challenges in bringing abuse of dominance cases under a criminal standard of proof.

11 December 2020

As European competition authorities and international organisations like the OECD and ICN look to advance the debate on sustainability and antitrust, Baker McKenzie’s global antitrust knowledge lawyer Grant Murray and partner Georgina Foster explore the approach of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and ask if it can provide a blueprint for others to follow.

07 December 2020

Common ownership has been a hot topic in antitrust law for a while and the debate as to its competitive effect is far from settled. India’s competition watchdog recently imposed conditions on a 3% investment because of minority holdings the buyer had in a rival company. Hemangini Dadwal, a partner at AZB & Partners, and associate Shreya Singh examine the potential impact of that decision.

01 December 2020

President-elect Joe Biden has been an outspoken critic of employee non-compete agreements since the waning days of Obama administration. Advocates for a ban on these contract provisions are hopeful that change may be on the way.

25 November 2020

Sia Aik Kor became chief executive of the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore in October 2019, replacing Toh Han Li, who stepped down after six years in the role. One year on, she spoke to Charles McConnell about the challenges of the covid-19 pandemic and her vision for the future.

10 November 2020

As economies around the world ground to a halt because of covid-19, the role of competition enforcers was cast under a new spotlight. Charley Connor explores if the crisis has undermined the distinction between competition law and consumer protection in two jurisdictions – South Africa and the UK – and how that might impact enforcement in a post-pandemic world.

20 October 2020

Combining competition and consumer protection powers has been a popular fit for some antitrust enforcers, but no two agencies have adopted exactly the same mould. Ben Remaly and Julie Masson look at the varying degrees of success that enforcers in the US, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK have had in merging the two mandates and what might lie ahead.

20 October 2020

Understanding that competition and consumer issues are intertwined and using that approach to take on the large digital platforms forms the core of Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Rod Sims’ message. He spoke to Charles McConnell about how his agency and staff are better equipped than some other agencies to tackle issues in the digital economy.

20 October 2020