The Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) imposed fines totaling approximately €26 million against six companies and one individual during 2024, according to its recently released annual report for 2024/25. The report, published on Wednesday, details actions taken across diverse sectors, including personal protective equipment, telecommunications and network infrastructure, construction services and road repair works.
Including accrued interest, the office collected approximately €53.7 million in fines. During the first half of 2025, three dawn raids were conducted, resulting in fines of €10 million and the collection of roughly €16 million in fines from previous investigations.
“The number of concluded proceedings has risen again in 2024” stated Andreas Mundt, Head of the Federal Cartel Office. This increase is reflected in the higher overall value of fines levied. The office also noted a significant rise in the number of dawn raids, with a total of eleven conducted. “We are keeping a close eye on all sectors, from road construction to network technology and protective clothing and our modern IT infrastructure enables systematic market observation.
Mundt emphasized that many of the newly initiated investigations were triggered by leads received through an external reporting platform. “This proves to be a valuable addition to witness requests, of which 17 were received last year”. Overall, the cartel enforcement activity demonstrates a “positive trend”. He added that the office remains committed to its mission and has further significant investigations currently underway.
