The European Commission published a report titled 'Protecting competition in a changing world' assessing changes in EU competition conditions over the past 20-25 years. Germany stands out with low market concentration compared to other EU states, leading to more competitive conditions and lower consumer prices.

The report commends the Bundeskartellamt's work, boosting competition enforcement in Germany. It presents significant findings indicating consumer and economic benefits from competitive markets, although establishing a direct causal link remains challenging.

Germany's market concentration remained low between 2000-2019, unlike countries like France, the UK, and Greece. Markups in Germany also remained stable during this period, contrasting with trends in other EU states. The report suggests that more vigorous competition enforcement in Germany may explain these differences.

The report delves into specific sectors like mortgages and beer, showing that higher market concentration leads to higher mortgage rates and beer prices. For example, fixed-rate mortgage rates in high concentration countries like the Netherlands were significantly higher than in low concentration countries like Germany and France.