Knowledge & Insights

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (“CCCS”) has been actively updating its guidelines and procedures in 2021. At the end of last year, the CCCS issued, in quick succession, a new Guidance Note on Business Collaborations (“Guidance Note”) as well as revised versions of its Competition Act guidelines (which were last reviewed in 2016).

This update looks at some of the key changes in the revised guidelines and the Guidance Note, and their impact on businesses. We also recap some of the notable decisions and pending cases in 2021, and look ahead at the likely enforcement trends going into 2022.

Key highlights covered in this update include:

• a shift in the CCCS’ stance in merger review – businesses ignoring merger control risk assessments do so at their own peril;

• updated commitments procedures, including specific timelines for provision of commitments – no more back and forth negotiations with the CCCS; parties have to put their best proposal forward or risk an unfavourable decision;

• more clarity in the Guidance Note for businesses looking to enter into collaborations with competitors – however, no safe harbours are provided and legal assessment is still crucial; and

• a recap of CCCS’ highlights from 2021 and likely enforcement trends in 2022.

If you would like information or assistance on the above or any other area of law, you may wish to contact the Partner at WongPartnership whom you normally work with or any of the following Partners:

Ameera ASHRAF
Head – Antitrust & Competition
d +65 6416 8113
e ameera.ashraf@wongpartnership.com
Click here to view Ameera's CV.

CHAN Jia Hui
Partner – Antitrust & Competition
d +65 6416 2794
e jiahui.chan@wongpartnership.com
Click here to view Jia Hui’s CV.