Compliance: Relevance of association meetings under cartel law

European and national antitrust law prohibits discussing competition-relevant topics such as prices or price elements or exchanging sensitive company data in the context of association meetings. It is also forbidden to coordinate competitive behaviour or to make corresponding decisions or agreements.

These rules apply during all Association events, including event breaks. Violations of anti-trust law can be punished with heavy fines, which the association, its member companies and possibly also employees have to bear personally. Therefore, compliance with antitrust law is indispensable.

We therefore urge you to take note of this and also refer to the guidelines on this subject published by the VDMA’s legal department: VDMA Compliance Regulations.