Swiss Cartel Act Set For Landmark Revision

Switzerland's long-awaited revision of the Cartel Act is nearing the finish line. Both parliamentary chambers have now reached consensus on all elements of the reform package, including modernized merger control, stronger civil enforcement, a narrowed definition of hardcore price cartels, and, crucially, the (re)introduction of an effects-based assessment for hardcore agreements and for the abuse of a dominant market position or relative market power.

Introduction

After more than a year of debating, the Swiss Parliament has decided on a major revision of the Swiss Cartel Act (CartA), marking the most significant reform of Swiss competition law in over a decade.

Key points of the revision