The German Competition Authority Reveals Its Review of 2021

The German Competition Authority (“the Bundeskartellamt”) revealed its review of 2021 on 22.12.2021. In 2021, the Bundeskartellamt;

• initiated new proceedings against Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta (formerly Facebook)
• imposed fines amounting to approx. 105 million euros for illegal cartel agreements
• examined approx. 1,000 company mergers
• processed over 140 applications for review in public procurement cases
• launched the Competition Register for Public Procurement

As stated in review of 2021, since 2017 the Bundeskartellamt can, in addition to its powers in the field of competition law, examine economic consumer rights cases, especially in the digital economy. The Bundeskartellamt has since uncovered shortcomings of online user reviews, comparison websites, smart TVs, mobile apps and messenger services.

In addition, the Bundeskartellamt imposed fines amounting to around 105 million Euros on a total of eleven companies and eight individuals in 2021. The fines were imposed on special steel producers and steel forging companies and for vertical price-fixing agreements for musical instruments, school bags and consumer electronics. Nine companies informed the authority about infringements in their sector by making use of the authority's leniency programme.

The Bundeskartellamt also examined around 1,000 notified merger projects in 2021. The Competition Register for Public Procurement was launched at the Bundeskartellamt in 2021. The Competition Register provides over 30,000 public contracting authorities in Germany with information helping them to assess whether a company must or can be excluded from a public procurement procedure for having committed economic offences.

You can find the full text of the review of 2021 here.

Kind regards,

Zumbul Attorneys at Law

info@zumbul.av.tr