Constitutional review of federal court decision in cartels and competition law proceedings

The Austrian Constitutional Court upheld the decision of the Federal Cartel Court, ruling that the applicant did not prevail and that the challenged lower-court order stands. The dispute concerned a competition law proceeding in which the applicant challenged the Federal Cartel Court’s findings and sanctions regarding alleged anti-competitive conduct or market violations, asserting that the lower court erred in its factual assessment or legal application. The Constitutional Court dismissed the constitutional complaint, determining that the Federal Cartel Court’s reasoning did not contain the arbitrariness or manifest legal error required to overturn the decision, thereby affirming the validity of the lower court’s ruling under the relevant provisions of the Austrian Cartel Act and constitutional standards for reviewing administrative and quasi-judicial decisions in competition matters.