我国垄断协议违法性认定框架的改进:评《<反垄断法>修订案草案》相关条款

Improvement of the Determining Framework of Illegality for Monopoly Agreements:Some Comments on the Relevant Provisions of Draft Amendment of China’s AML

关于垄断协议的违法性认定框架,我国《反垄断法》采“原则禁止+例外豁免”模式。这种模式的缺点是效果分析敞口大,导致执法机构的工作负担过重,影响执法效率,因此,需通过效果推定、安全港规则等制度安排予以平衡。《<反垄断法>修订案草案》增设了纵向垄断协议的反竞争效果抗辩条款和安全港条款,有效实现了垄断协议规制制度的体系性改善。安全港条款中的除外规定兼采形式与效果两种路径之长,值得肯定,但其适用范围失之于宽,不仅于理无据,还造成体系瑕疵,应予完善。

China's AML adopts the pattern of"general prohibition and exemptions"for its determining framework of the illegality of monopoly agreements.This pattern leads to large exposure to the analysis of monopoly behaviors’effects and excessive workload on law enforcement agencies,which in turn impairs the effi ciency of law enforcement,so it needs to be balanced by institutional arrangements such as presumption of effect and safe harbor rule.The Draft Amendment adds no anti-competitive effect defense clause for vertical monopoly agreements and safe harbor clause for all kinds of monopoly agreements,which effectively realizes the systematic improvement of the regulatory system for monopoly agreements.The exclusions in the safe harbor clause,which combines advantages of form-based and effect-based approaches,is worthy of recognition.However,the scope of application of the safe harbor rule not only is unreasonable,but also causes systematic fl aws and should be amended.