[OSM-talk] Report on unfair competition from Swedish govt agencies

[lars]

Svenskt Näringsliv (the "Confederation of Swedish Enterprise", the 
largest employers' organization) yesterday released a report (in 
Swedish only) on how governmental agencies compete unfairly with 
private enterprise.

News release, 
http://www.svensktnaringsliv.se/frameset_wa.asp?NewsId=2838183&CatId=19242&LangId=1
Report, "Osund statlig konkurrens slår ut privat företagsamhet"
http://sn.svensktnaringsliv.se/sn/publi.nsf/Publikationerview/4FD90DA07AA405B5C12572100041C5FF/$File/PUB200610-008.pdf

The 39 page report says 80 percent of Swedish governmental 
agencies were conducting commercial business in 2000.  And in 2003 
this had increased to 95 percent.  In 2005 they sold goods and 
services for 49.5 thousand million kronor (1 euro = 9 kronor) of 
which 23.5 were sold to non-governmental buyers (including private 
firms and municipalities).

The report points out many examples where this causes problems and 
concerns.

The largest business-conducting Swedish agencies, based on their 
sales to non-governmental buyers (the 23,500 MSEK sum), were in 
2005:

 * Vägverket (public road administration): 2500 million kronor
 * Banverket (railroad administration):    2200
 * Statens institutionsstyrelse (jails):   1000
 * Exportkreditnämnden (export credits):    758
 * Försvarsmakten (military defense):       490
 * Statens fastighetsverk (buildings):      420
 * Lantmäteriverket (land survey):          394
 * Jordbruksverket (farming agency):        317
 * Försvarets materielverk (mil. supplies): 311
 * SMHI (weather forecasts):                169
 * Skogsstyrelsen (forestry):               149

Concerning the land survey (pages 27-29), the report focuses not 
on public access to map data, but on consulting and software 
services.  The land survey markets such services under the 
"Metria" brand, but wins contracts where costs for accessing land 
survey databases are hidden. Access to these databases is 
expensive to private competitors, or sometimes not available at 
all.

Government-owned (and partly privatized) corporations (such as the 
telecom Telia, and railway train operators SJ and Green Cargo) are 
not included in this list, only agencies ("myndigheter").  The 
report doesn't mention ideological arguments such as free access 
to information, or whether corporations should be state-owned, 
only cases where the conduct of business is unfair due to the 
double role of the agencies.

The report was released in the week after the newly elected 
non-socialist Swedish government presented its first budget. The 
report recommends to incorporate and sell off the business parts 
of each agency.  Considering the numbers above, it seems likely 
that most pressure will be put on the public road administration, 
and far less on "Metria".  And free access to map data is even 
further from the agenda.


-- 
  Lars Aronsson (lars at aronsson.se)
  Aronsson Datateknik - http://aronsson.se