The relationship between EU cartel enforcement in the chemical industry from 1997 to 2022 and the compliance measures mentioned in the annual reports of the concerned undertakings is qualitatively analysed in this research. The article then focuses on Akzo Nobel NV’s distinctive use of an internal amnesty program and the level of industry compliance after this time of enforcement. Its conclusions are consistent with the idea that antitrust enforcement drives significant investment in compliance measures, with some evidence suggesting that these measures led to cartels reporting earlier in exchange for concessions and only one hard core cartel facing enforcement action in the decade that followed.