The Administrative Court of Appeal in Gothenburg has ruled that addendum agreements to the Cosmic contract for nine regions, including Region Dalarna, violated the law. Each region must pay 10 million kronor in procurement penalty fees following Tuesday's ruling. The Competition Authority prevailed after the Administrative Court had acquitted the regions.
The Administrative Court of Appeal in Gothenburg issued its ruling on Tuesday against nine regions in the Sussa collaboration, including Region Dalarna, Blekinge, Gävleborg, Halland, Norrbotten, Sörmland, Västerbotten, Västernorrland, and Örebro. In 2022, the regions signed addendum agreements to the original 2016 Cosmic contract, where Cambio won the procurement for the journal system. After delays, the regions opted for a new agreement with extended delivery time instead of claiming compensation from Cambio, which the Competition Authority deemed fundamentally altered the procurement and constituted illegal direct procurement. The Competition Authority began investigating in summer 2023 following a tip. The Administrative Court in Karlstad acquitted the regions in autumn 2025, but the Court of Appeal overturned the decision, imposing 10 million kronor per region—the maximum possible fee at the time of the claim. Court president Johan Sanner stated: “De har varit så pass stora så att det inte längre är samma avtal som leverantörerna hade att ta ställning till när upphandlingen annonserades. Det är en otillåten direktupphandling. Ett typfall som man ska se allvarligt på.” Cambio has previously committed to covering the fines. Elin Norén (S), chair of the regional executive in Dalarna, said: “Det vi behöver göra först nu är att läsa domen och sätta oss tillsammans med de andra Sussa-regionerna och komma fram till om vi ska överklaga till högsta förvaltningsdomstolen, eller inte.” Moderates in Region Dalarna criticize the S-led majority that signed the agreement in 2022 despite warnings from the region's lawyers.
