By sharing information you can help to effectively enforce competition law and prosecute illegal infringements. Whistleblowing by insiders who have gained knowledge of a competition law infringement in their capacity as an employee or business partner is one of the most important tools for uncovering such infringements. The Bundeskartellamt gratefully accepts any relevant information.

Information on anti-competitive agreements (prohibition of anti-competitive agreements)

The Bundeskartellamt is the external reporting unit for information on possible violations of the prohibition of anti-competitive agreements. The prohibition of anti-competitive agreements covers agreements between companies offering comparable products or services (competitors) on their competitive practices (“horizontal agreements”). It also covers agreements between suppliers and buyers which restrict competition in a way that has no objective justification (“vertical agreements”).

Illegal cartel agreements are usually concluded in secret, and the persons and companies involved in such agreements are extremely secretive. This is why we need your assistance. Please report any information on illegal agreements to us!

With the introduction of several measures over the last years, the Bundeskartellamt has been able to continually improve the effectiveness of its cartel prosecution, to the benefit of the economy as a whole and the consumer. Nevertheless, it is still difficult to uncover illegal cartel agreements and prove their existence. The persons and companies involved in such activities are usually extremely secretive.

This is why information about such illegal agreements is so important for detecting and breaking up illegal cartels.

Information on abuse of market power

German and European competition law both prohibit the abuse of a dominant position. By providing information on abusive practices of a dominant company, you make a substantial contribution to the work of the Bundeskartellamt.

Other competition law infringements

The Bundeskartellamt is also the competent external reporting unit for other competition law infringements by companies, such as requesting other companies to refuse to sell or purchase, violating the prohibition under merger control to put a merger into effect or breaching orders of the Bundeskartellamt.

Moreover, the Bundeskartellamt accepts information on the prohibited conduct of large online platforms in their capacity as gatekeepers (including breaches of the Digital Markets Act).

Other external reporting entities

If in the context of your work-related activities you have gained knowledge of other breaches than the competition law infringements described above, please contact the Federal Office of Justice or the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin).

You can also report the breach via the internal reporting unit of the relevant company.