Supreme Administrative Court Dismissed the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority’s Appeal on Legal Costs
On 3 November 2025, the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland (SAC) dismissed the appeal filed by the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) concerning legal costs in a competition law case. The case related to alleged prohibited cooperation in the market for plastic infrastructure pipes in Finland and involved several pipe manufacturers and wholesalers.
After a lengthy investigation and court proceedings, in August 2024 the Market Court rejected the FCCA’s proposal for the imposition of fines, finding that the authority had not presented sufficient evidence to support its allegations. The Market Court also ordered the FCCA to reimburse part of the companies’ legal costs.
The FCCA did not appeal the Market Court’s decision on the substance of the case but sought to overturn the ruling on legal costs. The Supreme Administrative Court upheld the Market Court’s decision and further ordered the FCCA to compensate part of the companies’ costs incurred in the appeal proceedings before the SAC.
We successfully represented Pipelife Finland Oy throughout the process — from the FCCA’s surprise inspection to the Supreme Administrative Court’s final decision — over a period of more than nine years.
Our team consisted of Partner Niina Rosenlund, Partner Olli Hyvönen, Counsel Heidi Markus, Associate Vivian Villa, and Associate Alex Niva.
Competition law proceedings can be demanding and resource-intensive for companies. The situation can be significantly alleviated if the company has prepared in advance for a potential authority inspection and established internal procedures and clear roles. Preparation saves both time and costs.
If you would like to ensure that your company is ready to handle authority inspections, please contact us.
Key contacts
Niina Rosenlund
Partner
Niina Rosenlund has extensive experience in dispute resolution, both before general courts and in arbitration proceedings. She also advises clients on matters relating to management liability and financial offence cases. Niina has frequently acted as a sole arbitrator and as a member of arbitral tribunals, and she has also served on several occasions as a trustee in redemption disputes under the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act.
Olli Hyvönen
During his career, Olli has been involved in numerous major antitrust cases and has represented leading industry players in cartel investigations, other competition law proceedings, State aid matters, and public procurement cases.
Since 2000, Olli has actively advised tenderers in public procurement processes governed by procurement legislation, as well as represented clients in related court proceedings before the Market Court and the Supreme Administrative Court.
