The Swedish competition authority has announced that new rules will come into effect on August 1, 2026, designed to improve its capacity to identify and act against mergers that could harm effective competition.

This updated guidance provides detailed information on how the authority will handle merger notifications. The aim is to enhance understanding of the authority's review process and applicable regulations, increase predictability, and ensure that parties involved in mergers can effectively cooperate with the authority's investigations.

Key adjustments in the guidance include the authority's expanded ability to intervene in mergers that may negatively impact local market competition. The authority will now have the power to require companies to provide information about mergers that are not mandatory for notification under the competition law, thereby improving its ability to detect and review such mergers before they are executed.

Additionally, the guidance has been updated to reflect new deadlines for special investigations of mergers and the authority's new power to impose investigation fines in certain cases.