产业政策与竞争规制协调视野下的国际航运反垄断豁免理论反思

International Shipping Antimonopoly Exemption: A Perspective from the Coordination between Industrial Policy and Competition Policy

航运反垄断豁免制度被视为航运产业政策与竞争规制融合与协调的交汇点,决定着反垄断法意义上非可责难性航运反竞争行为的范畴与边界。以历史成因、行业特性说、经济利益说为理论依据的航运业整体性豁免论认为豁免国际航运业竞争规制能够防止航运市场恶性竞争、提升规模经济、促进我国航运业发展。然而国际社会法律变革、航运市场结构变迁、消费者福利减损、产业比较视阈下的差别待遇无疑对传统行业整体豁免理论提出挑战。从产业政策与竞争规制协调视野来看,豁免垄断未必是鼓励航运业发展的最优选择。在否定航运业行业整体性反垄断豁免基础上可以按照对竞争的负面影响程度及效率标准有区别地建构多元化阶梯式航运垄断协议豁免体系。全球化承运人电子信息交换系统亦可以替代传统国际航运协议组织实现航运资源协调配置。

Shipping antimonopoly exemption, regarded as the ＂nexus for integration＂ between shipping industrial policy and competition policy, determines the scope and boundaries of lawful monopolistic-behaviors in the shipping market. Preventing cut-throat competition, enhancing economies of scale, and promoting the development of China ＂s shipping industry, are the core functions of shipping antimonopoly exemption. The theoretic foundations of such exemption lie in the history of liner conference, specialties of the shipping industry and its economic benefits. Nevertheless, EU＇s reform of shipping competition rules, radical change of shipping market structure, derogation of consumer welfare and differential treatment accorded to industries with similar characteristics, have significantly challenged traditional theories of shipping antimonopoly exemption. From the perspective of coordination between industrial policy and competition policy, according exemption to monopolistic behaviors may not be the best choice to promote the development of national shipping industry. Alternative to such industry-basis antimonopoly exemption, a multi-layered regime of shipping agreement exemption may be constructed. Additionally, a global information exchange system may also assist to coordinate the allocation of resources in the shipping industry.