Has the European Commission found a new way to promote competition law compliance? In a curious but entertaining development earlier today, the Commission published a new competition law compliance guide called “Competition in Europe: It’s Your Deal”.
This brightly coloured 14-page publication is evidently aimed at consumers, dastardly conspiring business executives or grade-schoolers (or perhaps all of the above).
Maybe comics are a more engaging way to explain what antitrust enforcers do (and the evils of price-fixing cartels and other anti-competitive conduct). It did catch my eye on my daily media sweep.
In this particular tale of corporate crime and intrigue, a curious European traveller meets a DG Comp officer who explains what European competition law enforcers do, why competition is good for markets followed by the officer describing a price-fixing and market sharing cartel formed over drinks and dinners at very European-looking locations (leading to a 350 million Euro fine).
I also couldn’t help noticing that the rooms grew dark and rain began to fall as the parties hatched their cartel – a rather nice cartoon-villain touch.
All in all an entertaining short read for corporate executives, competition lawyers over the holidays or grade-schoolers – perhaps the new trend in competition compliance, through comics?
For a copy of the Commission’s new publication see: Competition in Europe.
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