25th EU-China Competition Week

Tuesday 28 March 2023

Internal case review mechanisms – EU and PRC practices

07:45-08:00: Registration / Virtual room open

08:05-08:30: Opening remarks

• Mr Zhou ZHIGAO, Deputy Director General, Competition Policy Coordination Bureau, State Administration for Market Regulation
• Mr Torben TOFT, Senior Expert, Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission

08:30-09:45: Session I – The EU’s use of internal peer review to improve decision-making in competition law enforcement

Moderator: Ms Hilary JENNINGS, Special Adviser on Competition Policy, Competition Cooperation Project

Overview:

• Best practices for the conduct of proceedings in antitrust investigations
• Internal checks at different stages of the investigation to improve procedural fairness

Presentation by

• Ms Elisavet ARSENIDOU, Policy Officer, Antitrust Case Support & Policy, Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission

Q&A

09:45-11:00: Session II – The PRC’s approach to internal case review to improve decision-making in competition law enforcement

 Overview:

• Experiences with internal decision making in investigations
• Review practices during the investigation stage

Presentation by

• Mr WANG Jiheng, Department II of anti-monopoly enforcement, SAMR
• Mr WU Jinzuan, Deputy Director, Department of Competition Policy Coordination, SAMR

Q&A

Wednesday 29 March 2023

The digital economy in the EU and PRC – Legislative and case enforcement updates

07:45-08:00: Registration/ Virtual room open 

08:05 – 09:30 Session I – Update on the implementation of the EU’s Digital Markets Act and recent enforcement experiences in digital economy cases

Overview

• Overview of the main architecture of the DMA: scope, gatekeepers and obligations
• Enforcement of the DMA: governance and enforcement powers
• Next steps in the implementation of the DMA
• Update and overview of recent antitrust digital market cases

Presentation by

• Mr Fabian KAISER, Case Handler, Digital Platforms, Directorate General for Competition, European Commission

Q&A

09:30 – 11:00 Session II – Update on SAMR’s enforcement cases in the digital economy and an update on legislative and policy developments related to competition and digital markets

Overview

• Update and overview of recent digital market cases
• Update on legislative and policy developments related to competition and digital markets

Presentation by

• Mr ZENG Chuan, Deputy Director, Department I of anti-monopoly enforcement, SAMR

Discussion and Q&A

Thursday 30 March 2023

Economic analysis in merger review – methodologies and experiences from the EU and PRC

07:45-08:00: Registration / Virtual room open

08:05-11:00 Session I: The development and application of economic analysis in merger review

Overview

• The use of economic models in merger review – how useful are benchmark models? How to avoid misuse?
• Where to focus the economic analysis and consideration / assessment of overall industry structure and “motivation” of the transaction
• How to integrate economic analysis into the overall legal strategy of the case
• Use of ex-post assessments to identify impacts and evaluate effectiveness of tools to predict impact of past-mergers
• Recent examples

Presentation by

• Mr Borja CASADO, Economist, Chief Economist Unit, Directorate General for Competition, European Commission
• Ms YU Jiamu, Director, Department II of anti-monopoly enforcement, SAMR

Q&A and discussion session

Friday 31 March 2023

Building of a unified national market and subsidies review under the FCRA; State aid, greening the economy and measures relevant to the new energy vehicle market

07:45-08:00 Registration / Virtual room open

08:05-09:30 Session I: Building of a unified national market and subsidies review under the FCRS

Overview:

• Objectives and key tasks for accelerating the construction of a national unified market
• Preliminary research for drafting the Rules for Fair Competition Review in the Area of Subsidies

Presentation by

• Ms ZHOU Minjia , Deputy Director, Department  of Competition Policy Coordination,SAMR

Q&A

09:30 – 11:00 Session II: State aid developments, greening the economy and the new electric vehicle market

Overview:

• Objectives and operation of State aid framework in relation to climate, environmental protection and energy
• Implications for new electric vehicles – including Important Projects of Common European Interest

Presentation by

• Ms Graça DA COSTA, State aid and competition consultant, former DG Competition Senior Expert on State aid strategy

Q&A

11:00 – 11:15 Closing remarks

• Mr Torben TOFT, Senior Expert, Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission
• Mr ZHOU Zhigao, Deputy Director General, Department of Competition Policy Coordination, SAMR