Guidance

Guidance on Horizontal Agreements

Guidance on how the CMA applies the Chapter I prohibition in the Competition Act 1998 to horizontal agreements, and on the application of the Specialisation Agreements Block Exemption and the Research and Development Block Exemption.

• From: Competition and Markets Authority
• Published: 16 August 2023

Documents

Guidance on horizontal agreements

PDF, 1.64 MB, 231 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email general.enquiries@cma.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

This guidance explains how the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) applies the Chapter I prohibition in the Competition Act 1998 to horizontal agreements, meaning agreements between actual or potential competitors.

The guidance describes the application of the Competition Act 1998 (Specialisation Agreements Block Exemption) Order 2022 and the Competition Act 1998 (Research and Development Agreements Block Exemption) Order 2022. It also provides guidance on the application of the Chapter I prohibition in the Competition Act 1998 to other common types of horizontal agreements which are not covered by these two block exemptions.

First published 16 August 2023.

Published 16 August 2023