Since 2020, our antitrust/competition practice has expanded the Dechert Antitrust Merger Investigation Timing Tracker (DAMITT) to include Germany and France. This supplements DAMITT’s U.S. and EU coverage with comprehensive...more
On July 6, 2023, the German Parliament passed the 11th amendment to the German Act Against Restrictions of Competition ("ARC"), substantially expanding the Federal Cartel Office's ("FCO") enforcement powers. The reform...more
The 11th amendment to the German Act Against Restraints of Competition (the Amendment) has been adopted on 6 July 2023 and will enter into effect following publication in the official journal, which is expected in the next...more
On July 6, 2023, the German parliament adopted the “Competition Enforcement Act.” The new law still lacks final approval by the Bundesrat, which will not be granted before the end of September, but this is only a formality....more
Nach einem langen Gesetzgebungsverfahren ist am 2. Juli das Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz (HinSchG) in Deutschland in Kraft getreten. Damit setzt die Bundesrepublik (wenn auch verspätet) die EU-Whistleblower-Richtlinie um; Hogan...more
After a long legislative process, the German Whistleblower Protection Act (“the Act” or HinSchG) came into force on July 2. As Hogan Lovells reported several months ago (see article in German here), Germany has, albeit...more
This newsletter is a summary of the antitrust developments we think are most interesting to your business. Ellen Braun, partner based in Germany, is our editor this month (learn more about Ellen in our Q&A feature at the end...more
In France and Germany, the trend is towards a drastic fall in significant investigations, combined with an exceptional duration of these investigations. Meanwhile, in both jurisdictions the average outcome shows an increasing...more
The German government on 5 April 2023 adopted a draft bill on the 11th Amendment to the German Competition Act, which introduces, under certain circumstances, new far-reaching interventional powers for the German Federal...more
Nach monatelangen Querelen hat die Bundesregierung kurz vor Ostern den Regierungsentwurf für die 11. GWB-Novelle veröffentlicht. Der Entstehungsprozess war konfliktreich und durch abweichende Positionen innerhalb der...more
Antitrust law may restrict price increases if the preconditions of a pricing abuse are met. However, decision practice on this topic is scarce. Therefore, EDEKA’s petition for a preliminary injunction filed against Coca-Cola...more
The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Action (BMWK) has proposed a small, but almost revolutionary 11th amendment of the German Act Against Restraints of Competition. It is expected to come into effect in early...more
Under the draft law, the FCO could impose behavioural and structural remedies following a sector inquiry without finding an infringement of German or EU competition law. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs...more
For the second time, our antitrust/competition practice has expanded the Dechert Antitrust Merger Investigation Timing Tracker (DAMITT) to include Germany and France. This supplements DAMITT’s U.S. and EU coverage with...more
Bereits letzte Woche hatten wir zur Fallpraxis des Bundeskartellamts („BKartA“) im Bereich des „grünen Kartellrechts“ berichtet. Diese Woche hat die Behörde gleich nachgelegt. Dabei gab es nun aber (erstmals) Gegenwind für...more
In Europa wird spätestens seit der Ankündigung des European Green Deal bzw. des „Fit for 55“-Pakets das Thema Nachhaltigkeit und Umweltschutz auch im Kartellrecht ergebnisoffen diskutiert. Deutschland ist hier keine Ausnahme....more
On December 7, 2021, the incoming German government signed its coalition agreement for the 2021 to 2025 tenure. The agreement sets the policy agenda for the new government, consisting of Social Democrats, Greens, and...more
Das Bundeskartellamt („BKartA“) hat am 25. November 2021 wichtige Dokumente für den praktischen Umgang mit dem neuen Wettbewerbsregister veröffentlicht. Konkret geht es um Leitlinien zur vorzeitigen Löschung einer Eintragung...more
Key Takeaways: As in many other jurisdictions, the incoming German government is seeking to expand competition law enforcement with new theories and a heightened focus on technology, digital markets, and consumer...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
New enforcement tool for the German Federal Cartel Office in the control of abusive behavior of companies with a paramount cross-market significance for competition...more
The Development: The Bundestag, the German legislature, amended Germany's antitrust laws to include special competition rules for digital platform "companies with overwhelming importance for competition across multiple...more
The 10th amendment to the German Act against Restraints of Competition (ARC) entered into force on January 19 (ARC Digitization Act); the act seeks to modernize German antitrust rules and address challenges associated with...more
What has changed? • On January 19, 2021, new German antitrust rules entered into force under the 10th amendment Act to the Act against Restraints of Competition (ARC) and introduced a number of significant changes. •...more
The 10th amendment to the German Act against Restraints of Competition (ARC) - also called the “Digitalization Act” - became effective on January 19, 2021. In a previous alert, we discussed the key aspects of the...more