The Competition Commission of Singapore (“CCS”) was established on 1 January 2005 to administer and enforce the Competition Act (the “Act”) 2004. On 1 April 2018, CCS was renamed the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (“CCCS”) and took on an additional function of administering the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act 2003. In relation to the Act, besides investigating and enforcing against practices that have an adverse effect on competition in Singapore, CCCS also represents Singapore in respect of competition matters and consumer protection matters in the international arena. In addition, CCCS has a statutory duty to advise the government, any public authority or any consumer protection organisation on national needs and policies in respect of competition matters and consumer protection matters generally.
The functions and duties of the CCCS are to:
a. Maintain and enhance efficient market conduct and promote overall productivity, innovation, and competitiveness of markets in Singapore;
b. Eliminate or control practices having adverse effect on competition in Singapore;
c. Promote and sustain competition in markets in Singapore;
d. Promote a strong competitive culture and environment throughout the economy in Singapore;
e. Act internationally as the national body representative of Singapore in respect of competition matters and consumer protection matters;
f. Promote fair trading practices among suppliers and consumers and enable consumers to make informed purchasing decisions in Singapore;
g. Prevent suppliers in Singapore from engaging in unfair practices;
h. Administer and enforce the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act 2003; and
i. Advise the Government, other public authorities or consumer protection organisations on national needs and policies in respect of competition matters and consumer protection matters generally.
These functions are supported by the various divisions in CCCS:
1. Legal, Enforcement and Consumer Protection (LEC) (Legal, Enforcement and Consumer Protection Divisions)
2. Economics, Policy and Data (EPD) (Business and Economics, Government Advocacy and Markets, and Data and Digital (D2) Divisions)
3. Corporate Affairs Division
4. International, Communications and Planning Division
As the national body representative of Singapore in respect of competition and consumer protection matters, the CCCS also works with its foreign counterparts to foster cooperation on cross-border cases and to promote development and implementation of competition and consumer protection laws and policies. They include:
a. Entering into agreements with foreign competition agencies, eg, negotiating FTAs with competition and consumer protection provisions to establish a level playing field for businesses and to safeguard consumers' interests;
b. Forging strategic engagements with key foreign counterparts to foster closer cooperation in competition and consumer protection related matters;
c. Participating and contributing actively at the various international fora to shape the development and implementation of competition and consumer protection policies and law;
d. Addressing relevant emerging trends and developments, as well as adopting applicable international best practices, to ensure our competition and consumer protection regime remains robust in Singapore.