On June 9, 2017, the 9th amendment to the German Competition Act (ARC) finally came into force.
The main reason behind this substantial change of German competition law was the implementation of the EU directive 2014/104/EU on Antitrust Damages Actions. German legislators have taken this opportunity to make further changes to the existing competition law regime.
The new provisions expand the competence of the Federal Cartel Office in the areas of merger control, digital markets, and private antitrust enforcement. Also, gaps in the enforcement of fines have been closed.
Andreas Mundt, President of the Federal Cartel Office, said: “We welcome the fact that the legislature has given us a new step in the process of new consumer protection instruments. Especially in the Internet industry, there are cases where companies can harm millions of consumers at a time by a single unlawful measure. Here, it makes sense to support the established consumer protection in Germany, which is predominantly organized under private law. We are now going to make a concrete contribution to consumer protection through sector studies and to identify any deficits. We will work closely with consumer protection organizations. ”
The Federal Cartel Office may, in the future, carry out serious investigations into serious violations of consumer law provisions, such as the Unfair Competition Law (UWG) or legal requirements for general business conditions, sectoral investigations. Sectoral investigations are not aimed at certain companies, but they are designed to explore market conditions in depth. In the past few years, the Bundeskartellamt has identified competition-related constraints through sectoral investigations and developed solutions such as petrol stations, district heating, the dairy market or read-out services.
Full Content: Global Compliance News
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletterr for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Meta Begins Defense After FTC Concludes Case in Landmark Antitrust Trial
May 15, 2025 by
CPI
UK Data Bill Still No Closer to Passage As Parliamentary ‘Ping-Pong’ Drags On
May 15, 2025 by
CPI
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Awarded $271.2M in Damages Against Amgen
May 15, 2025 by
CPI
FTC Chair Proposes 15% Staff Reduction Amid Budget Constraints
May 15, 2025 by
CPI
UK Urges Antitrust Watchdog to Prioritize Growth and Clarity in Business Regulation
May 15, 2025 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Healthcare Antitrust
May 14, 2025 by
CPI
Healthcare & Antitrust: What to Expect in the New Trump Administration
May 14, 2025 by
Nana Wilberforce, John W O'Toole & Sarah Pugh
Patent Gaming and Disparagement: Commission Fines Teva For Improperly Protecting Its Blockbuster Medicine
May 14, 2025 by
Blaž Višnar, Boris Andrejaš, Apostolos Baltzopoulos, Rieke Kaup, Laura Nistor & Gianluca Vassallo
Strategic Alliances in the Pharma Sector: An EU Competition Law Perspective
May 14, 2025 by
Christian Ritz & Benedikt Weiss
Monopsony Power in the Hospital Labor Market
May 14, 2025 by
Kevin E. Pflum & Christian Salas