CIIAI ANTITRUST WEBINARS, 15-16 SEPTEMBER 2020
The China Institute of International Antitrust and Investment (CIIAI) is currently planning to host two consecutive antitrust webinars on 15-16 September 2020, each one starting at 13:00 CET(19:00 China time). These events will take place on the Zoom conferencing platform. The webinar agendas focus on how EU, US and Chinese enforcers are coping with the Covid-19 crisis and its aftermath. In particular, these conferences will address: the challenges that companies face in the current economic climate; the challenges for enforcers in terms of procedures and priorities; and the substantive issues that are likely to arise during this period.
Our roster of speakers is still in progress. We are expecting Chinese enforcement officials and academics to be joining us as we get closer to our events.
The agendas are as follows:
DAY ONE (15 September):
19:00 COMPETITOR COLLABORATIONS: A LOOSENING OF REGULATION?
This panel will address collaborations among competitors that may be deemed essential for the firms involved, who are perhaps suffering from falling demand, overcapacity, disrupted supply chains and rising prices of inputs. More specifically, the panel will discuss the application of antitrust rules to industry restructuring (so-called “crisis cartels”), joint selling, joint purchasing and information exchanges.
Chair:
Prof. Alison Jones, King’s College, London
Speakers :
Paul Csiszar, Head of Directorate E, DG Competition, Brussels
Craig Seebold, Partner, Vinson & Elkins
Cento Veljanokski, Managing Partner, Case Associates
Mac Conforti, Attorney-Advisor, US Department of Justice
SAMR to be determined
20:30 ABUSE OF DOMINANCE: NOT TO WASTE A GOOD CRISIS
Industry leaders, particularly in the technology sphere, are widely seen as getting stronger during the current crisis. This panel will explore the kinds of exploitative and exclusionary conduct that are of particular concern during the crisis, such as excessive pricing, predatory pricing and refusals to supply. The panel will also discuss the pending cases in the EU and US against Google, Amazon and Facebook.
Chair:
Prof. William Kovacic, George Washington University School of Law
Speakers :
Massimiliano Kadar, Deputy Head of Unit, DG Competition, Brussels
Andrew Heimert, Office of International Affairs, U.S. Federal Trade Commission
Elizabeth Wang, Executive Vice President, Compass Lexecon
Zhan Hao, Partner, Anjie
DAY TWO (16 September)
19:00 MERGER CONTROL: CREATIVITY WILL BE REWARDED
Companies considering mergers and acquisitions are now facing a different environment in which parties, but particularly target companies, may be under great economic stress. As this panel will discuss, this is a time when filing parties may wish to be exempted from
regulatory “standstill” obligations. They may also wish to assert that the target is a “failing company” or a “flailing company” that requires immediate rescue. On the substantive side, the parties (and regulators) may need to consider how rapidly changing market
conditions would affect the assessment of market power, barriers to entry etc.
Chair :
Prof. Ioannis Kokkoris, Queen Mary University, London
Speakers :
Paul Csiszar, Head of Directorate E, DG Competition, Brussels
Kelly Signs, Deputy Assistant Director, U.S. Federal Trade Commission
Yan Yu, Senior Associate, RBB
Ninette Dodoo, Co-Chair, China Antitrust Practice, Freshfields
20:30 STATE SUBSIDIES: TRYING TO FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE
The regulation of state subsidies under competition law may impact Chinese companies either as applicants for such aid or as victims of aid given to competitors. The EU’s State aid regime and China’s fair competition regime have become more relaxed during the Covid-19 crisis. This panel will discuss the actions taken by the EU and Chinese governments to facilitate state-provided financial aid, and conversely, the regulatory limitations on such aid that are currently enforced. This panel will also discuss the Commission’s 17 June White Paper dealing with the application of the EU competition rules to state-owned companies.
Chair :
Prof. Ioannis Kokkoris, Queen Mary University, London
Speakers :
Ms. Ramona Ianus, Unit A3, DG Competition, Brussels
Charles Pommies, Partner, Allen & Overy
Angela Zhang, Associate Professor, University of Hong Kong
Please register by filing the form at the bottom of this page and send the completed form to ciiai@cupl.edu.cn. If there are any questions please contact Ms. Liu at 86-18701072916 or liuhuahope@sina.com.