Prohibition of cartels; Exempted agreements
Company cooperations or cartels to promote performance-enhancing cooperation are exempt from the ban on cartels under certain statutory conditions.
Description
Agreements between undertakings, decisions by associations of undertakings and concerted practices which have as their object or effect the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition are prohibited.
Cooperation that is overall beneficial to effective competition in the relevant market is permitted. The risk of making the correct legal assessment as to whether or not a cooperation violates antitrust law is borne by each entrepreneur himself.
In practice, cooperation in production, marketing, purchasing, research and development as well as agreements on standards and for the purpose of environmental protection are significant.
For small and medium-sized enterprises, cooperation in the form of a medium-sized business cooperation pursuant to Section 3 of the ARC is also an option.
Competent authorities:
Insofar as the anticompetitive effect of the conduct to be assessed in Germany does not extend beyond the Land of Bavaria: Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy.
Otherwise the Bundeskartellamt is competent, in case of Europe-wide effects also the European Commission (Directorate General for Competition).
Links to more information
Status: 10.05.2021
Responsible for editing: Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, Landesentwicklung und Energie
- Online transactions, Bavaria-wide
- Online transactions, locally limited
- Prefillable Form, Bavaria-wide
- Legal bases, Bavaria-wide
- Legal bases, locally limited
- Fees, Bavaria-wide
- Fees, locally limited
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