Budapest, March 2, 2026 — The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) will host the International Competition Network (ICN) Cartel Working Group’s annual workshop in Budapest from November 11 to 13, 2026.
The GVH, which currently serves as co-chair of the ICN Cartel Working Group, is organising the event as part of its mandate for the 2027 term. The ICN is a global network comprising more than 140 national and multinational competition authorities and promotes the harmonisation and effective enforcement of competition law through practical guidance, working groups and annual conferences.
According to the GVH, the workshop is one of the most prominent international events in cartel enforcement, bringing together leading competition law experts to discuss current challenges in the fight against cartels.
The authority highlighted its active role in cartel enforcement. In 2025, 18 cartel proceedings were ongoing before the GVH, involving approximately 1,800 tenders, around 1,000 of which concerned public procurement or the use of public funds. During the year, the GVH closed three cartel cases and opened five new ones. By comparison, EU Member State competition authorities opened an average of 2.5 cartel cases and closed two, with an average of seven ongoing proceedings.
In 2025, the GVH concluded several major cartel cases with significant fines, including a case concerning anti-competitive cooperation among medical device manufacturers and distributors, and a waste collection vehicle cartel case concluded in December 2025, in which fines exceeding HUF 1.5 billion were imposed on six undertakings. Approximately 60% of the GVH’s competition fines imposed in 2025 related to cartel cases.
