Substantial Reform Of German Competition Law Has Entered Into Force

On 30 June 2013, the Eighth Amendment to the German Act Against Restraints of Competition has entered into force. It had been planned initially to implement the reform already by 1 January 2013 (see VBB on Competition Law Volume 2011, No. 12, and Volume 2012, No. 4, available at www.vbb.com) but several controversial issues, in particular whether or not statutory health insurance funds and concentrations between public institutions and businesses as part of municipal territorial reforms should be subject to the German merger control rules and whether fees charged by public water suppliers should be subject to the rules on abusive behaviour, delayed the legislative process until publication of the reform in Germany's Federal Law Gazette on 29 June 2013.