Kilpailuvirasto

Kilpailuvirasto, commonly translated as the Finnish Competition Authority, was a Finnish government agency responsible for enforcing competition law and promoting fair market practices. It operated as an independent authority under the supervision of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and was headquartered in Helsinki. Its mandate encompassed competition policy and related market regulation, with a focus on maintaining competitive conditions in the Finnish economy.

The agency’s core functions included investigating and enforcing against anticompetitive agreements and abuses of a dominant market position, and reviewing mergers that could affect competition under national and EU law. It also carried out activities related to consumer protection, aiming to ensure fair business practices, prevent misleading or aggressive advertising, and safeguard product safety and reasonable contract terms in the marketplace.

In 2013, Kilpailuvirasto merged with Kuluttajavirasto to form Kilpailu- ja kuluttajavirasto (KKV), the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority. The merger consolidated competition enforcement and consumer protection into a single regulatory body, with KKV inheriting the responsibilities and authorities of both predecessor agencies. Today, the KKV continues to enforce Finnish and EU competition rules and cooperates with the European Competition Network and the European Commission in cross-border enforcement and policy development.