7. The fight against cartels

Abstract

‘The fight against cartels’ assesses the fight against cartel agreements. When unchallenged and undetected, cartel activity can distort competition and significantly harm consumer welfare and trade. Policy makers have described cartel activity as a cancer in a modern market economy, the effects of which are entirely negative. The law reflects this view by treating cartel activity as unambiguously bad, thus prescribing harsh financial penalties and sanctions to violators. Competition agencies position these illicit activities high on their enforcement agenda. There are a number of leniency programmes which incentivize cartel members to approach the agency and confess their participation. Both the US and EU investigated the Air Cargo Cartel.