Germany: Implemented Amendment to Competition Act including competition authority governance

On 19 January 2021, the Amendment of the German Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB - Digitalisierungsgesetz) comes into force. The Amendment introduces new powers for the German Competition Authority (Bundeskartellamt) regarding digital platforms' abuse of power, especially self-preferencing own services. In particular, Section 19a allows the Bundeskartellamt to initiate investigations against companies "of paramount importance for competition across markets" more quickly to deter companies from anti-competitive behaviour. Furthermore, the definition of abusive conduct and the assessment of market power include the quantity of data relevant to competition that is possessed and intermediated by a company.