This report aims to support policymakers and competition authorities in Poland, Latvia and Lithuania in improving the functioning of competition in online marketplaces and their ecosystems by identifying and recommending ways to address barriers to effective competition. It reviews the structure, competitive dynamics and regulatory framework of online marketplaces from a competition perspective, with particular attention to the market power of large digital platforms, barriers to entry and expansion, and the broader ecosystems in which these platforms operate.
The market study was conducted by the OECD with the financial support of the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), and in close co‑operation with national authorities and stakeholders in the three countries. The recommendations of this project provide a roadmap for strengthening competition policy and regulatory responses in digital markets. If implemented, these recommendations would enhance market monitoring and enforcement, reduce barriers to entry and expansion, promote pro‑competitive data practices, facilitate cross-border competition, and address structural imbalances between online marketplaces and sellers, thereby supporting greater contestability and more balanced market outcomes.
The study and its recommendations are intended to complement – rather than substitute for or anticipate – existing legislation and ongoing enforcement by the European Commission and national competition authorities. The analysis draws on the applicable EU and national legal frameworks and seeks to support authorities by offering additional economic and factual insights that may inform, but do not pre‑judge, any current or future enforcement action.
This report builds on the OECD Competition Division’s experience with market studies as a competition policy instrument. Since 2014, the Organisation has supported jurisdictions in strengthening their legal frameworks and institutional capacities to conduct market studies in line with international best practices. In 2016, market studies were designated as a long-term theme of discussion within the OECD Competition Committee, and this work culminated in the publication of the Market Study Guide for Competition Authorities in 2018. More recently, the OECD has undertaken sectoral market studies, including retail banking in Tunisia (2023) and the electricity sector in Ukraine (2023), offering evidence‑based recommendations to enhance competition.