A Reform to Strengthen Competition - After publication on 6 November 2023, the long awaited latest reform of German competition law has finally entered into force. Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic...more
On 10 May 2022, the European Commission (the Commission) finally published the official final version of the European Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER) and guidelines (Vertical Guidelines). The new rules will come...more
European antitrust regulators have shown a continued focus on scrutinizing manufacturers’ engagement with their distributors. The anticompetitive practices that have attracted the highest financial penalties primarily relate...more
In October, the German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt, "FCO”) published new guidelines on its leniency program and on the setting of fines in cartel proceedings. The guidelines substantiate the changes in the law...more
With its judgment of 4 June 2019 on best-price clauses, the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht, “OLG”) annulled the deviating decision of the German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt, “FCO”). ...more