Annual report 2014-2015 In 2014 the authority had a record high investigation activity, conducting 6 dawn raids in 17 sites.
– Several of the new cases stem from public tenders where competitors are involved in bid rigging. Our experience is that when the tips come from public procurers, the evidence is often solid and provides a good basis for the case, director General Christine Meyer says.
Only two of the six cases have been made public. The collection of evidence from five companies within the market for book distribution in April 2014 was one of them. The second case involved assistance to a dawn raid conducted under the EFTA Surveillance Authority, ESA. The inspections were carried out at the premises of airline company Widerøe’s Flyveselskap AS.
Merger interventions
In the last three years the competition authority has intervened in 10 mergers. Six mergers have been allowed with remedies whereas 4 mergers have been blocked. Three of the four blocked mergers have been transactions where large national corporations have acquired local market positions close to monopoly.
– Given the geographical structure of Norway, with a very elongated shape and scattered settlements, it is particularly important to pay close attention to local mergers which potentially can imply monopolized markets, Meyer says.