Legislation
In addition to the consultation and informal cooperation between the competition authorities at international level, there is also the possibility of formal cooperation, for example, international judicial assistance.
This means that on request an authority or court in one country can provide active assistance in a concrete case handled by an authority in another country.
The respective instruments are particularly highly developed within the System of the European Competition Network (ECN), of which the national competition authorities of the EU Member States and the European Commission are members.
Mechanisms of formal cooperation between the Bundeskartellamt and the competition authorities of other countries also exist beyond the ECN.
The legal bases for such cooperation are:
- § 50b German Act against Restraints of Competition (German Competition Act, GWB) – Other Cooperation with Foreign Competition Authorities
- Agreement between the governments of Germany / USA relating to mutual cooperation regarding restrictive business practices (Source reference for the binding German and English texts: Federal Law Gazette (BGBl.) II 1976, no. 55 of 23 October, p. 1712 ff.)
- OECD Council Recommendation on cooperation between member countries on anti-competitive practices affecting international trade
The Bundeskartellamt undertakes no guarantee that the content of the legal provisions linked to its website is up-to-date.
