The association Södertälje city received more than SEK 7 million from the municipality last year. More than half of the sum is included in the Swedish Competition Authority's review of the municipality's payments to, among other things, the Södertalje Festival.
In its response to the Swedish Competition Authority, the municipality writes that "The boundary between a procurement situation and a grant situation is not always clear", but that in this case it is about money without a requirement for consideration.
The festival no order from the municipality
For example, the municipality believes that the center association receives grants to work to make the city center more attractive and that the Södertalje festival, among other things, has had such an effect.
According to the municipality, it is therefore not a question of events such as the Södertalje Festival having to be procured - because they have never dealt with an order from the municipality.
"It is Södertälje municipality's position that the payments made to Södertälje City Ekonomiskförening constitute grants," the municipality concludes.