Cartels harm the economy as a whole and, above all, consumers.

If competitors coordinate their behavior on a market in order to restrict or eliminate competition, this is known as a cartel. Such agreements between companies are generally prohibited. The Federal Cartel Office prosecutes such cartels and can impose severe fines on the persons and companies responsible.

If you become aware of a cartel, you can report it to the Federal Cartel Office. You can also provide information anonymously.

The cartel authority will then investigate your tip-off and may initiate proceedings. If you are involved in the cartel and help to uncover the cartel, you may be able to get out of the cartel unpunished under certain circumstances. The prerequisite is that you did not provide the information anonymously or via the whistleblower system.

Under certain circumstances, agreements that restrict competition may be exempt from the ban on cartels. This may be the case, for example, if the agreement improves the production of goods or promotes technical progress and at the same time consumers receive a fair share of the resulting profit. Certain collaborations between small and medium-sized enterprises are also permitted.