It is proposed, among other things, an extended mandate to intervene when competition does not function as it should on a market. The Competition Authority should, according to this proposal, be able to demand that one or more companies take measures to promote competition – in addition to the traditional supervision work against competition offenses.
It is a competence they do not have today, says the special investigator, Court of Appeal Judge Eva Edwardsson, when she presents the proposals at a press conference with Ebba Busch.
We believe that this could improve competition on Swedish markets, adds Edwardsson.
Disclosure obligation in the event of acquisition
The report also proposes a complement to the so-called notification obligation in the event of company acquisitions with a disclosure obligation, which would give the Competition Authority the opportunity to decide on notification obligation in the event of mergers and acquisitions.
It is also proposed a new law on "public sales activities". This could stop gyms and cafes in municipal management that compete with private companies and prevent publicly owned actors such as the state or municipalities from pushing private actors out of the market.
This does not affect public activities that are operated according to law, such as schools, healthcare or care, says Edwardsson.
This affects publicly driven activities that are actually operated to make money, adds she.
May result in measures against the food industry
According to Edwardsson, the proposal that the Competition Authority should be able to demand competition-promoting measures can be used on the food market, which has received much criticism for lack of competition since the inflation shock in 2022-2023.
This gives the Competition Authority an opportunity to start studying the food market and identifying if there is anything that could be changed, says Edwardsson.
The report comes after the Competition Authority has called for new tools in its supervisory work.
