Antitrust, Competition and Trade

The CMS Antitrust, Competition and Trade (ACT) group in Austria is part of the fully integrated global CMS group, one of the largest specialist competition and trade teams in the world. More than 225 CMS experts advise clients in over 40 countries worldwide on all ACT matters. The Austrian team is based in Vienna.

Global network and expertise

Due to our size and wide footprint, we are able to deal with all ACT matters irrespective of their geographical dimension. Where necessary we cooperate with long established contacts from our wider network of law firms everywhere in the world.

Comprehensive expertise in ACT matters

We are specialists across the full range of Antitrust, Competition and Trade matters. In the last three years alone, our group has advised clients in more than 750 competition and trade related proceedings. We have expert sub-groups specialising in specific areas within the wider competition and trade field, e.g. for State aid and FDI/Foreign investment screening. 

We are also renowned experts in various sectors of the economy, including automotive, consumer products/FMCG, construction, digital economy, energy & climate change, life sciences, telecommunications/media and transport. 

Diverse client portfolio

Our clients range from many large multinationals who frequently use our team as their ACT law firm of choice for the entire region (e.g., in Europe or CEE), to governments at all levels and also a high number of medium-sized companies. We also advise Austrian brand owners and leading market players, as well as supranational organizations, federal and local governmental entities (including in competition law training programmes for jurisdictions with nascent competition laws). 

Advocacy and representation

We represent our clients before Austrian authorities, including the Federal Competition Authority, the Federal Cartel Prosecutor, and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy (for FDI screening matters), the Austrian courts (in particular the Cartel Court) and in proceedings before the European Commission and the European Court of Justice. Furthermore, we assist our clients on ACT matters worldwide.

Innovative tools and events

We use the most up-to-date technical and AI tools to support our business. We hold a renowned biannual EU competition law conference which has become a feature in the Brussels calendar. We put out regular case law updates on Austrian, EU and international competition and trade developments on our Law Now service. Our monthly EU law webinars are attended by in house counsel from around the world.  

We cover every area of Antitrust, Competition and Trade law: