Global Cartels Handbook

Leniency: Policy and Procedure

In recent years cartel regulation has become a key priority for competition authorities around the globe resulting in a proliferation of immunity and leniency programmes. Competition authorities are constantly developing and revising their approaches to cartel regulation and introducing new mechanisms for businesses to report cartels, seek immunity and gain leniency. The need for businesses and their advisers to be able to identify and manage their global risk exposure is more pressing than ever before. The Global Cartels Handbook addresses this pressing need by providing a comparative analysis of immunity and leniency programmes for legal practitioners and corporate counsel. It consists of a comparative introduction which identifies some of the key features of the main jurisdictions and provides some of the strategic pointers to the most appropriate forums in which to seek leniency. A quick reference guide gives a tabular country-by-country overview of the leniency programmes in place around the world. This is followed by a detailed point-by-point description of each leniency programme, with reference to all key case law throughout, under a set of headings which are templated across each country chapter. This template format allows for ease of reference and consistency of information and provides essential practical information for filing a leniency application.