Switzerland: Parliament crushes cartel law

As lawmakers looked to reduce sky-high consumer prices, a bill was proposed that would target cartels in the hopes of reducing costs across markets. But Switzerland’s Parliament has reportedly rejected the legislation, after years of debate.

According to reports, the bill had been in the works for about six years. Opponents said the bill would have allowed too-broad government intervention in the economy and ultimately burden companies and consumers.

But after Parliament rejected the bill Wednesday, proponents of the legislation said the ultimately losers are small- and medium-sized businesses.

A top champion of the law, Prisca Bierrer-Heimo of the Social Democrats and president of the Consumer Protection Foundation, argued consumers will not likely see government attempts to lower consumer costs anytime soon.

The legislation would have tackled barriers to entry for parallel imports. Reports say Swiss manufacturers have been found to ban distributors from reselling Swiss products to Swiss retailers at lower prices.

Full content: Swiss Info

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