Samkeppniseftirlitið gefur út ársritið: Breytt umhverfi – öflugra eftirlit

The Competition Authority's Annual Report, which was published today, Thursday 30 August, is entitled 'Changed Environment – More Effective Oversight'. To mark the publication of the report, the Competition Authority's new premises at Borgartún 26 were formally opened, where the Minister of Trade addressed those present.

The publication discusses the priorities of the Competition Authority and how they have been pursued. It also outlines recent amendments to competition law intended to strengthen its enforcement. Changes to the organisation and rules of procedure are described, which are aimed at more targeted work practices by the Authority, the speed of its case handling is discussed, and more.

The main points of the annual report are:

* Samkeppniseftirlitið hefur varið um 20 % af ráðstöfunartíma sínum í málefni sem tengjast matvörumarkaði, frá miðju ári 2006 til miðs þessa árs. Á því tímabili hafa um 30 stjórnsýslumál verið til meðferðar sem tengjast matvörumarkaði.

* Mjög mikilvægt er að virk samkeppni ríki í almennri bankaþjónustu. Þess vegna er fjármálastarfsemi á meðal þeirra þátta atvinnulífsins sem Samkeppniseftirlitið leggur megináherslu á í starfsemi sinni.

* Samkeppniseftirlitið getur samkvæmt nýju lögunum ákveðið að kæra ekki til lögreglu brot einstaklinga sem upplýsa um samkeppnisbrot og liðsinna við rannsókn þeirra.

* Á árinu 2006 lauk Samkeppniseftirlitið 104 stjórnsýslumálum, en tók upp 106 ný mál til skoðunar. Aldurssamsetning mála er að færast í betra horf en hlutfallslega færri mál eru eins og hálfs árs eða eldri nú en fyrir ári og hlutfall yngri mála að sama skapi hærra.

In the foreword to the annual report by Gylfi Magnússon, Chairman of the Competition Authority, it states:

„Although the Competition Authority primarily monitors the activities of domestic companies, it is inherent in its role that the institution must also do what is in its power to ensure that competition from foreign parties in this country benefits Icelandic consumers.

In the introduction by Páll Gunnar Pálsson, CEO, it says:

“It is crucial that businesses, the government and consumers prioritise a healthy competitive environment in the transformations currently taking place in Icelandic business life. Everyone has a role to play in this.”

Further information is provided by:
Páll Gunnar Pálsson, Director of the Competition Authority, telephone 585 0700.