France / Germany : The look from across the Rhine, A story of brotherhood*

On the 15th of January, the Bundeskartellamt celebrated its fiftieth anniversary of enforcement of the German Act against Restraints on competition (Gesetz gegen Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen, known as the “GWB”). Some 600 guests joined this landmark celebration, which took place in Bonn. The number and the high level of the participants to the ceremony, opened by the Federal Minister of Economy, Mr. Michael Glos, and the widespread audience it had in the German media, marked the importance of this event for Germany. Beyond the well-deserved tribute to the successes of the Bundeskartellamt, which pioneered competition enforcement in post-war Europe, the day echoed the outmost prestige enjoyed by competition as a whole in Germany. The speeches and contributions delivered by the previous and