CCCS focuses on digital platforms, sustainability and the aviation sector

The CCCS may conduct market studies on digital markets, and is monitoring developments on the interaction between sustainability and competition law as well as post-pandemic activities in the aviation sector. In line with global developments, the Chief Executive of the CCCS, Ms. Sia Aik Kor, shared the following key priority areas of CCCS in an interview in January 2023:

  1. Digital Platforms: In other jurisdictions, competition regulators have been looking into implementing ex ante regulation to deal with the increasing market power of large digital platforms, e.g. EU's adoption of the Digital Markets Act. Ms. Sia stated that the CCCS will continue to monitor global developments to identify potential competition issues, and then engage with stakeholders (e.g. governmental agencies and industry players) to determine if such concerns apply to Singapore as well. She highlighted that the CCCS prefers to conduct market studies, especially on more problematic digital markets, to gain a better understanding of developments in Singapore. This is similar to the CCCS's approaches in 2019 and 2020 in respect of the online travel booking sector and e-commerce platforms respectively, which resulted in the amendment of the CCCS's guidelines.
  2. Sustainability: The interaction between sustainability and competition law has been an emerging issue around the world. Ms. Sia stated that sustainability issues have been surfacing in the CCCS's work, and the CCCS is currently studying such issues within the Singapore context. Further, the CCCS has also been monitoring developments abroad, and is looking into how environmental benefits can be quantified/accounted for. While the CCCS does not currently have any specific guidelines for sustainability initiatives (which the UK, Australia and Japan are implementing), the CCCS has encouraged businesses to engage with the CCCS on sustainability-focused collaborations to reduce uncertainties.
  3. Aviation: The CCCS is currently reviewing a number of airline alliance agreements (submitted to the CCCS for clearance) and is also monitoring post-pandemic market activities within the aviation sector.

Businesses pursuing activities in these focus areas are strongly encouraged to monitor such developments and implement appropriate compliance safeguards in anticipation of such developments.