On 28 April 2016 the Official Journal of the European Union published the commitments offered by Sandefjord Municipality and Color Line, in order to address the EFTA Surveillance Authority’s preliminary competition concerns in relation to the agreements granting Color Line exclusive access to the port of Sandefjord.

In the Authority’s view, such agreements have prevented the entry and expansion of Color Line’s competitors in the market of short-haul passenger ferry services with tax–free sales between Norway and Sweden. Thanks to these agreements, and following an already excessively long period of exclusive access to the port of Sandefjord, Color Line has reserved to itself the most attractive sailing times and a large part of its capacity.

The commitments offered by Sandefjord Municipality and Color Line provide for a new arrangement of the sailing plan until 2020. Moreover, Sandefjord Municipality will allocate the sailing times to existing and new parties by the end of 31 December 2019, on the basis of criteria that comply with competition law and fundamental non-discrimination principles. Finally, Sandefjord Municipality undertakes to grant Fjord Line, Color Line’s competitor, the right to operate ferry services on the aforementioned route until 2025.