(1) Business and trade associations and professional organisations may establish competition rules within their area of business.
(2) Competition rules are provisions which regulate the conduct of undertakings in competition for the purpose of counteracting conduct in competition which is contrary to the principles of fair competition or effective competition on the merits, and for the purpose of encouraging conduct in competition which is in line with these principles.
(3) Business and trade associations and professional organisations may submit to the competition authority an application for recognition of competition rules.
(4) Applications for recognition of competition rules shall contain:
1. the name, legal form and address of the business and trade association or professional organisation;
2. the name and address of the person representing it;
3. a description of the subject matter and the territorial scope of the competition rules;
4. the wording of the competition rules.
The application shall be accompanied by:
1. the by-laws of the business and trade association or professional organisation;
2. proof that the competition rules were established in conformity with the by-laws;
3. a list of unrelated business and trade associations or professional organisations and undertakings operating at the same level in the economic process as well as the suppliers' and purchasers' associations and the federal organisations for the relevant levels of the economic sector concerned.
The application may not contain or use incorrect or incomplete information in order to surreptitiously obtain recognition of a competition rule for the applicant or for a third party.
(5) The competition authority shall be informed of any changes and amendments to competition rules that have been recognised.