The book examines the rights of defendants in infringement procedures and those of the notifying parties in merger proceedings before the European Commission and the Chinese competition authorities. The initial chapters offer a general introduction to EU and Chinese competition law respectively, paying particular attention to the substantive rules of competition law. Subsequent chapters present an overview of the procedural rights of the notifying parties in merger cases in both legal systems surveyed, address the procedural rights of defendants in infringement cases, and provide an international perspective on differences in the notification and enforcement procedures between legal systems. The final chapter draws comparative conclusions and includes a number of suggestions for improvement.​

Significant power is exercised through webs created between different systems of national law, influenced by governments but also by transnational actors such as global corporations and transnational NGOs, and often with an overlay of formal international law or of substantial influence from international institutions. Studying the procedures used by competition institutions (dealing with specific cases concerning monopolies, mergers, anti-competitive practices) this volumes uses a template to study practices of many national institutions and the EU, and examines the interactions among these and with prescriptions of influential international bodies. Together these form a web, with existing procedural rules and practices in a particular institution criticized and alternatives championed and transmitted partly by prescription and partly by arguments of major global law firms, of global corporations, and of consultants dispatched by the ICN and other agencies. This whole process, examined for the first time in this book, is the real global governance of the procedural law and practices of market supervision under competition rules. Delving deeply into their jurisdictions and internationally, the contributors illuminate the inner workings of the systems and expose the procedure, process, and performance norms embedded within. Case studies are drawn from Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Japan, South Africa, the USA, and the EU, as well as four leading international institutions involved in antitrust, the World Trade Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and the International Competition Network. The results reveal a convergence of these norms across the very different systems, a procedural norms convergence that offers a necessary counterpart to studies on substantive rule convergence. These results provide benchmarks for the field, suggest possibilities for future development, and offer lessons for all interested in competition law and global governance.

In Due Process and Fair Trial in EU Competition Law, Cristina Teleki addresses the complex relationship between Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The book is built around the idea that big business can threaten democracy. Due process and fair trial should be central to the process of addressing bigness through competition law, by safeguarding independent decision-making and judicial review and by preventing competition authorities from growing into administrative behemoths threatening democracy from inside. To show this, the book combines a comprehensive review of the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights with insight from economics, psychology and systems theory.

How substantive competition rules are enforced plays a crucial role in achieving their goals. This thoughtful book examines procedural issues that have arisen from the increased enforcement of competition law worldwide.

This unique book considers competition policy and regulation in light of the recent introduction of the anti-monopoly law in China. It addresses the relevance of competition policy for China from a broad theoretical and practical perspective, bringing together lawyers and economists from China, Europe and the US to provide an integrated law and economics approach. Given that the development of the Chinese anti-monopoly law in China was heavily reliant on a comparative approach, the contributors analyse how its text and practice actually compare to European and US legislation. The first cases in which Chinese anti-monopoly law were applied are explored, and both competition law and competition policy are discussed in detail. Topics include: industrial and professional regulation and their relationship to competition law, merger control, substantive competition law issues, cartels, and abuse of dominance and predation. This unique book will prove a fascinating read for competition lawyers, economists with a special interest in regulation and competition, and for practitioners concerned with competition policy and regulation.

This chapter offers an overview of procedural fairness in Chinese antitrust. To a certain extent, issues of procedural fairness are intertwined in China with substantive issues of competition law and economics. Part of the complexity has to do with the newness of the AML and with authorities working through a number of cases, industries, and types of conduct that are issues of first impression. Under such circumstances it takes time to build core competencies on the part of the competition authorities. Sometimes what may seem to be procedural fairness issues (such as delay or requests for information that does not seem directly related to the case at hand) may in fact be a function of authority staff coming up to speed on issues for which there is no institutional knowledge.The level of transparency in the Chinese system, at least on paper, bears a resemblance to the European system of procedural fairness in an antitrust setting. However, in practice, the lack of transparency and due process in China suggests behavior that does not comport with the emerging international norms. Similar to transparency concerns masking public interest factors are due process concerns masking public interest factors. Due to the multiple goals, the Chinese competition authorities are more active in their use of industrial policy on substantive decisions relative to the United States and Europe.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this practical analysis of competition law and its interpretation in the China covers every aspect of the subject – the various forms of restrictive agreements and abuse of dominance prohibited by law and the rules on merger control; tests of illegality; filing obligations; administrative investigation and enforcement procedures; civil remedies and criminal penalties; and raising challenges to administrative decisions. Lawyers who handle transnational commercial transactions will appreciate the explanation of fundamental differences in procedure from one legal system to another, as well as the international aspects of competition law. Throughout the book, the treatment emphasizes enforcement, with relevant cases analysed where appropriate. An informative introductory chapter provides detailed information on the economic, legal, and historical background, including national and international sources, scope of application, an overview of substantive provisions and main notions, and a comprehensive description of the enforcement system including private enforcement. The book proceeds to a detailed analysis of substantive prohibitions, including cartels and other horizontal agreements, vertical restraints, the various types of abusive conduct by the dominant firms and the appraisal of concentrations, and then goes on to the administrative enforcement of competition law, with a focus on the antitrust authorities’ powers of investigation and the right of defence of suspected companies. This part also covers voluntary merger notifications and clearance decisions, as well as a description of the judicial review of administrative decisions. Its succinct yet scholarly nature, as well as the practical quality of the information it provides, make this book a valuable time-saving tool for business and legal professionals alike. Lawyers representing parties with interests in the China will welcome this very useful guide, and academics and researchers will appreciate its value in the study of international and comparative competition law.