19th EU-China Competition Week

21-24 October 2019

About

T he 19th EU-China Competition Week took place in Beijing from 21st to 24th October 2019. The week of technical discussions on competition law and enforcement showcased the commitment of the European Commission Directorate-General for Competition (DG Competition) and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) of the People’s Republic of China to strengthen their technical cooperation and dialogue. It builds on a longstanding tradition of biannual competition dialogue between the EU and the antimonopoly enforcement agencies in China.

Officials from DG Competition and the SAMR were joined by two officials from the French Competition Authority.

The Competition Week provided a platform for both sides to address their priorities and challenges in the field of competition policy. Officials and experts discussed a broad range of topics, including State Aid control in the EU and its Member States, the Chinese Fair Competition Review System, merger review, and competition law enforcement and the digital economy. The roundtable discussions provided a platform for frank exchanges on practical experiences with cases and enforcement of competition law and policy in both countries.

EU-China Competition Weeks take place biannually in March and October, when officials from DG Competition and their counterparts in China engage in a dialogue to enhance cooperation and transparency between China and the EU in the field of competition.

Schedule

Value-based merger notification thresholds and enforcing procedural rules in merger review

08:45-09:00: Registration

09:00-09:15: Opening remarks

  • Mr XU Lefu, Anti-Monopoly Bureau, STATE ADMINISTRATION FOR MARKET REGULATION
  • Mr Torben TOFT, Senior Expert, International Relations Unit, Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission

09:15-12:30: Session I – Revising notification thresholds to capture high-value transactions

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

Overview:

  • Weighing up the need for a transaction-value notification threshold
  • Risk of enforcement gap
  • Recent developments

 

Presentations by:

  • Mr Pierantonio D’ELIA, Case Handler, Merger Case Support and Policy, DG Competition, European Commission
  • Dr Romina POLLEY, Partner, Cleary Gottleib Steen & Hamilton LLP, Germany
  • XIAO Di, 1st Division of Concentration of Undertakings Investigation, Anti-Monopoly Bureau, STATE ADMINISTRATION FOR MARKET REGULATION

 

Commentary by:

  • Mr Wladimir SOLTMANN, Case Handler, Merger Unit, French Competition Authority
  • Ms Florence LE ROUX, Case Handler, Antitrust Unit, French Competition Authority

Roundtable discussion and Q&A session with all speakers and experts

12:30-14:00: Lunch

14:00-17:30: Session II –Enforcing procedural merger rules

 Overview:

  • Tougher implementation of procedural rules? Recent developments
  • Responses to procedural infringements – e.g. incomplete or misleading filings, failure to provide information at review stage or at remedy discussion stage
  • Requests for information – use of agency powers to request internal documents versus informal information requests

 

Presentations by

  • Mr Pierantonio D’ELIA, Case Handler, Merger Case Support and Policy, DG Competition, European Commission
  • Dr Romina POLLEY, Partner, Cleary Gottleib Steen & Hamilton LLP, Germany
  • Mr Wladimir SOLTMANN, Case Handler, Merger Unit, French Competition Authority
  • ZHOU Minjia, 3rd Division of Concentration of Undertakings Investigation, Anti-Monopoly Bureau, STATE ADMINISTRATION FOR MARKET REGULATION

Commentary by:

  • Ms Florence LE ROUX, Case Handler, Antitrust Unit, French Competition Authority

 

Roundtable discussion and Q&A session with all speakers and experts

Competition law enforcement and the digital economy

08:45-09:00: Registration

09:00-12:00: Session I – Data in the digital economy

Overview

  • Impact of data on online markets – competitive advantage?
  • Data concentration
  • Defining a relevant market for data
  • The relevance of data in establishing market power
  • Experience of data related mergers
  • Experience of data related abuses of dominance

 

Presentation by

  • Mr Pierantonio D’ELIA, Case Handler Merger Case Support and Policy, DG Competition, European Commission and Mr Joao VAREDA, Case Handler, Antitrust: IT, Internet and Consumer electronics, DG Competition, European Commission
  • Ms Florence LE ROUX, Case Handler, Antitrust Unit, French Competition Authority
  • ZHAO Lili, Division of Supervision and Enforcement, Anti-Monopoly Bureau, STATE ADMINISTRATION FOR MARKET REGULATION

 

Discussion and commentary by

  • Mr Wladimir SOLTMANN, Case Handler, Merger Unit, French Competition Authority

 

Roundtable discussion and Q&A session

12:00-13:30: Lunch

13:30-16:45: Session II – Antitrust enforcement in digital markets

Overview

  • Collusion in online markets
  • Identifying collusion through or between algorithms
  • Investigating abuses of dominance in the digital economy – alleged discriminatory or unfair practices
  • Use of interim measures to deal with developments in fast-moving markets

 

 

Presentations by

  • Mr Joao VAREDA, Case Handler, Antitrust: IT, Internet and Consumer electronics, DG Competition, European Commission
  • YU Jiamu, Division of Monopoly Agreement Investigation, Anti-Monopoly Bureau, STATE ADMINISTRATION FOR MARKET REGULATION

 

Discussion and commentary by

  • Ms Florence LE ROUX, Case Handler, Antitrust Unit, French Competition Authority

 

Roundtable discussion and Q&A session

Innovation policy and competition law enforcement and State aid principles and interaction with EU Member States State aid offices

08:45-09:00: Registration

09:00-12:00: Session I – Innovation policy and competition law enforcement

Overview

  • Pro-innovation policies and competition policy
  • Consideration of innovation incentives and impact on innovation in competition law enforcement?
  • Impact of competition law enforcement in high tech markets on innovation

 

 

Presentations by

  • Mr Joao VAREDA, Case Handler, Antitrust: IT, Internet and Consumer electronics, DG Competition, European Commission and Mr Pierantonio D’ELIA, Case Handler, Merger Case Support and Policy, DG Competition, Merger Case Support and Policy, DG Competition, European Commission
  • Mr Wladimir SOLTMANN, Case Handler, Merger Unit, French Competition Authority
  • CHENG Ranran, 1st Division of Concentration of Undertakings Investigation, Anti-Monopoly Bureau, STATE ADMINISTRATION FOR MARKET REGULATION

 

Discussion and commentary with

  • Mr Miek VAN DER WEE, Former Head of Unit, Infrastructure and Regional Aid Unit at DG Competition

 

Roundtable discussion and Q&A session

12:00-13:30: Lunch

09:15-12:00: Session II – State aid principles and practices

Overview

  • State aid principles
  • State aid rules and procedures
  • Legal and illegal aid, compatible and incompatible aid, compatibility assessment
  • How is compliance achieved?
  • Investigating complaints
  • Monitoring and interaction between the Commission and Member States state aid offices

 

 

Presentations by

  • Mr Miek VAN DER WEE, Former Head of Unit, Infrastructure and Regional Aid Unit at DG COMP

 

Roundtable discussion and Q&A session

Assessing State aid and setting up a new State aid regime and Implementing the Fair Competition Review System – developments and next steps

08:45-09:00: Registration

09:00-12:30: Session I – Application of State aid rules and mechanisms to particular sectors – with case examples

Overview:

  • Regional Investment Aid
  • Public procurement rules and State aid
  • Setting up a new State aid Regime

 

Presentations by

  • Mr Miek VAN DER WEE, Former Head of Unit, Infrastructure and Regional Aid Unit at DG COMP

 

Roundtable discussion and Q&A session

12:30-14:00: Lunch

14:00-17:00: Session II – The Fair Competition Review System – Developments and implementation challenges

Overview:

  • Developments at the national and local levels
  • Identified challenges
  • Next steps
  • ….

 

Presentations by

  • ZHU Kai, Division of Fair Competition Review System, Anti-Monopoly Bureau, STATE ADMINISTRATION FOR MARKET REGULATION

Discussion and commentary with

  • Mr Miek VAN DER WEE, Former Head of Unit, Infrastructure and Regional Aid Unit at DG COMP

 

Q&A session

17:15 – 17:30: Closing remarks

  • Mr Torben TOFT, Senior Expert, International Relations Unit, Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission
  • ZHANG Kun, Division of Competition Policy and International Cooperation, STATE ADMINISTRATION FOR MARKET REGULATION