CMA consults on annual plan

23 Jan 2020 02:08 PM

The CMA has launched a consultation on its annual plan for 2020/21

Protecting the interests of consumers, improving trust in online markets and helping the transition to a low carbon economy, while preparing for new responsibilities from January 2021 and making the case for reform, are central to the CMA’s work in 2020/21.

In 2020/21 the CMA proposes to:

• maintain the focus on consumers who are in vulnerable circumstances, taking enforcement action where necessary and undertaking behavioural insights work to gain a better understanding of consumer vulnerability
• improve trust in markets, through ongoing work on fake reviews, subscription traps and anti-competitive practices and excessive pricing in pharmaceutical markets, and through our advocacy and campaigns work
• tackle concerns in digital markets, including delivering on our Digital Markets Strategy, finishing our market study on online platforms and digital advertising
• enhance productivity and economic growth not only through full use of our toolkit but also by stepping up our advice to government on designing and implementing policy that harnesses competition and protects the interests of consumers
• support the transition to a low carbon economy, by developing our understanding of how climate change affects markets and how businesses can evolve and innovate without risk of breaching competition law
• continue to prepare to take on new responsibilities as a result of the UK leaving the EU, so that we are ready to take on our expanded domestic role and can secure a greater global footprint from January 2021

The CMA enters 2020/21 with a substantial volume of ongoing work and at the time of publication has 18 competition enforcement cases as well as four ongoing appeals, seven consumer enforcement cases, 22 merger investigations, one market investigation and one market study under way.

For more information, read our draft 2020/21 Annual Plan.