Reforming Competition and Consumer Policy: Driving growth and delivering competitive markets that work for consumers – CMA Response to Consultation
The CMA has published its response to the government’s consultation on Reforming Competition and Consumer Policy: Driving growth and delivering competitive markets that work for consumers.
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This is the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)’s response to the government’s Consultation Reforming Competition and Consumer Policy – Driving Growth and Delivering Competitive Markets That Work for Consumers (the Consultation). The government sought views in the Consultation on a range of issues in relation to the reform of competition and consumer policy. The Consultation proposals include the bolstering of the CMA’s powers, enhancement of consumers’ rights and ensuring that those consumer rights are robustly enforced.
The CMA considers that across the Consultation, the government has identified a compelling package of legislative reform proposals, and areas for further consideration. Taken together, these proposals will promote fair, open and competitive markets and protect the interests of consumers, as well as helping fair-dealing businesses to grow, enter new markets, and compete with large incumbents. In this way, the government’s proposals can also be expected to support innovation, growth and economic recovery throughout the UK.
The CMA stands ready to assist the government as necessary in developing the government’s proposals for reform. It has provided comments in its response on certain specific questions in the Consultation, either where the CMA might have concerns about a proposal or where it considers that its views may help in the effective development of the proposal.
The government at the same time conducted a separate consultation on the UK’s new pro-competition regime for digital markets, to tackle the unique challenges of fast-moving digital markets and the powers of the new Digital Markets Unit, already operating in non-statutory form within the CMA.
For more information, read the press release: CMA welcomes government proposals on new powers.