Sweden and EU: Competition law, public procurement, and state aid in the wake of Covid-19

In short, the most pertinent take-aways for the receiving clients were that:

1. actions that restrict competition are still prohibited;
2. merger controls may take longer than usual to be finalized;
3. there is a possibility for procuring authorities in Sweden to claim extreme urgency due to Covid-19, thereby justifying the use of direct awards; and
4. several measures from the Swedish Government has been approved under the EU Commission’s Temporary Framework on state aid, but companies on the receiving end must be aware of and ensure compliance with state aid law.

To read the full newsletter in Swedish, please contact the Stockholm office.