The seminar will be held at Mirabell Palace in Salzburg from 5 to 6 November 2024. Experts from the AFCA and BAK will welcome city and municipality officials, 25 individuals in total, and introduce them to current issues relating to cartel law and public procurement. The aim is to educate decision-makers and give them the necessary practical tools to deal with antitrust and procurement issues.
“Our Compliance Compass is a tool in which cartel law, procurement issues and corruption prevention are presented in an easily understandable and immediately relatable way. It should make everyone’s life easier and more legally secure when dealing with these issues,” explains Natalie Harsdorf, Director General for Competition.
“Integrity and compliance are our best weapons in the fight against corruption. And as in many other areas of life, prevention is better than cure. We want to make people aware of potential issues, enabling them to quickly identify situations that are prone to corruption and take the right course of action to prevent any crime from being committed,” comments Otto Kerbl, Director of the BAK.
Objective: education and prevention
The AFCA and BAK begin their cooperation with a seminar series entitled “Compliance compass for municipalities. Guideline for legal certainty in public procurement” and covering topics such as cartel law, procurement law and anti-corruption measures. The target group for this knowledge transfer are decision-makers at local authority level (cities and municipalities) who primarily deal with public procurement.
Contents of the seminars
- Cartel law: obtaining a basic understanding of the laws and regulations prohibiting cartels
- Procurement law: learning about the legal framework conditions surrounding public procurement
- Corruption prevention: developing an awareness of the various different forms of corruption
- Compliance and integrity: honing prevention skills in connection with cartel law, procurement law and anti-corruption measures
- Answers and guidance: AFCA and BAK experts discuss current questions and issues relating to cartel law, public procurement, anti-corruption efforts and compliance in a practice-oriented format
- Current legal situation: AFCA and BAK experts explain current statutory amendments and provide practical guidance on how to deal with typical procurement procedures at municipal level.
Official cooperation
AFCA Director General Natalie Harsdorf and BAK Director Otto Kerbl signed a cooperation agreement in July 2024 (see press release of 3 July 2024). The aim is to fight corruption, cartels and concerted practices, as well as to step up joint efforts in education and prevention.
Further information on the seminar can be found here (in German): Compliance Compass
