Vienna, October 6, 2025 — The Austrian Cartel Court has imposed a fine of €1.7 million (USD 2 million) on Anton Traunfellner Ges.m.b.H. and Traunfellner Beteiligungs-GmbH (together, “Traunfellner”) at the request of the Federal Competition Authority (BWB), as part of its ongoing investigation into anticompetitive conduct in the country’s construction sector.
According to the BWB, Traunfellner participated as an accessory in illegal price-fixing, market allocation, and information exchanges with competitors in relation to public and private construction tenders in Lower Austria between February 2003 and May 2017.
The conduct formed part of a wider nationwide infringement involving numerous companies across Austria, covering both civil engineering and building projects, with road construction playing a particularly significant role. The purpose of the collusion was to reduce or eliminate competition, assist each other in winning contracts, and secure market shares.
Although not a leniency applicant, Traunfellner cooperated fully with the BWB outside the formal leniency programme and admitted the facts before the Cartel Court. In light of this cooperation, and with the involvement of the Federal Cartel Prosecutor, the BWB proposed a reduced fine.
The construction cartel investigations—one of Austria’s largest competition cases—remain ongoing, with several proceedings already concluded by final decisions.
Under Austria’s Cartel Act, fines can reach up to 10% of a company’s total turnover in the preceding financial year, taking into account the severity and duration of the infringement, the degree of fault, the company’s financial position, and its cooperation with the authorities.
