The openness of public procurement can also facilitate the formation and monitoring of cartel agreements.

Some business operators will have been unaware that their conduct was unlawful, or formation of the cartel may have predated the enactment of the first competition law.

Cartel operators, especially unsophisticated ones, may make public statements that betray cartel activity.

Hungary Cartel in the fertilizer industry

You know what a cartel is?

Hungary Cartel in the fertilizer industry 8

Lessons for the future how to improve anti cartel enforcement in developing countries and other countries beginning an anti cartel effort

The infringement, carried out as part of an international cartel, was the longest operating cartel in Hungary, lasting from 1991 until 2003.

Argentina Cartel in the medical oxygen supply market

Complainants usually do not possess enough evidence to prove that a cartel exists, but without their initiative, many cartel prosecutions would never begin.

For most countries there is one most effective tool available to the cartel prosecutor the dawn raid, or unannounced visit to the offices of suspected cartel operators for the purpose of seizing documentary or electronic evidence of a cartel agreement.

Attack formation!

Standard formation.

Argentina Cartel in the medical oxygen supply market 4

Previously, a cement cartel had been fined EUR 10,000,000.

See ICN Working Group on Cartels, Defining Hard Core Cartel Conduct Effective Institutions Effective Penalties , in Building Blocks For Effective Anti Cartel Regime, vol. 1.

As a result of the cartel, hospitals and consumers were charged high prices for the medical oxygen and the cartel members enjoyed illegally acquired high profits.

Begin to impose strong sanctions against cartel conduct. As was noted above, an indispensable element of a successful anti cartel programme is an aggressive sanctioning policy.

They're maintaining formation.

...walk in formation.

Aboutface in formation

She's breaking formation.

Use standard formation.

Formation change completed!

Standard fleet formation!

Cartel cases are much more persuasive if they contain direct evidence of agreement involving the cartel participants, and evidence that the participants knew that their conduct was unlawful.

Brazil has sharply increased its anti cartel enforcement in recent years.

Recently there has been some increase in anti cartel activity, however.

How does a robust competition culture support successful anti cartel enforcement?

Gross fixed capital formation.

What about your formation?

Interesting driftwood formation too.

Ring formation. Right front

Attack in staggered formation.

As you can see here, they collapse from a three dimensional formation into planar formation.

A second specialized investigative tool in cartel cases is the leniency programme.

GFCF Gross Fix Capital Formation

Formation and validity of contracts

Why did you break formation?

Tennessee! West Virginia! Attack formation.

Maintain formation and follow me.

The primary purpose of sanctions in the cartel context is as a deterrent.

The harm caused by the cartel should be emphasized, and quantified, if possible.

Cartel Overcharges Survey and Meta Analysis (draft). www.encore.nl documents Connor_MetaAnalysis3 10 05.pdf

In such a programme, the first cartel member offering to cooperate with a cartel investigation and providing evidence implicating the other members is promised forgiveness from prosecution or, in some cases, reduced sanctions.