Special Report of the Monopolies Commission, May 30, 2022

• The tasks of hospital planning in the federal states should be focused more clearly and effectively on ensuring the provision of care.
• The German dual hospital finance system should be restructured. The Monopolies Commission suggests a further development of the hospital flat-rate payment as well as the introduction of a provision surcharge that can be controlled by the federal states.
• Patients should be given better opportunities to compare the quality of medical care provided by hospitals.

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Sector Report on German railway markets pursuant to Sec. 78 of the Railway Regulation Act, July 21, 2021

• The planned equity increase by the Federal Government in favour of the Deutsche Bahn Group may distort competition in the railway sector. It would be better to support rail infrastructure through investment grants or infrastructure cost subsidies.
• A competitive tender or concession model promotes competition in the "Deutschlandtakt" and can contribute to an increase in railway traffic.
• Digitalisation offers opportunities for the railway sector. Access to real-time mobility data will make competitive sales offers more attractive and would increase their use.

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Policy Brief | Issue 8 | 06. July 2021

Today, the Monopolies Commission is presenting its eighth Policy Brief. In this Policy Brief, it addresses the European Commission's proposal for a Digital Markets Act (DMA).

• The addressees should be limited in a targeted manner by an ecosystem criterion in Art. 3 DMA.
• The behavioral obligations of data portability and interoperability should be applied consistently to core functions of core platform services.
• Self-preferencing in the form of default settings of core platform services within an ecosystem should be prohibited in Art. 5 DMA.

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