Press Release: Competition: Commission takes Sweden to Court for failure to end broadcasting services monopoly

The European Commission has decided to refer Sweden to the European Court of Justice for its failure to change rules giving state-owned company Boxer TV-Access AB a monopoly to provide access control services in Sweden’s digital terrestrial broadcasting network. According to the Directive on competition in the markets for electronic communications networks and services (Commission Directive 2002/77/EC), Sweden had to abolish all monopoly rights for broadcasting transmission services by July 2003. However, Sweden has so far failed to abolish Boxer TV-Access AB’s monopoly. The referral to the Court is the final stage of the infringement procedure under Article 226 of the EC Treaty.