One of the Competition Commission (Commission)'s functions is to investigate conduct that may contravene the competition rules and to enforce the provisions of the Competition Ordinance (Ordinance). The Ordinance includes specific provisions on how the Commission should exercise this function, while the Guideline on Complaints and Guideline on Investigations provide additional guidance on the processes the Commission intends to follow in receiving complaints and conducting investigations.
The Enforcement Policy supplements the Ordinance and the six Guidelines the Commission has issued to provide guidance on how the Commission intends to exercise its enforcement function in investigating possible contraventions of the First Conduct Rule and the Second Conduct Rule (collectively, the Conduct Rules) through:
- adhering to six core principles in conducting investigations (professional, confidential, engaged, timely, proportionate and transparent)
- prioritising the use of the Commission’s operational resources to investigate conduct that may contravene the Conduct Rules in an efficient and timely manner; and
- identifying an enforcement response that is suitable and proportionate where the Commission considers a contravention of the Ordinance has occurred.