The Competition Authority and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have launched an initiative to establish a regional competition forum.
The forum will include all Western Balkan states (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania) and two EU member states (Slovenia and Croatia). It will therefore include all of former Yugoslavia plus Albania.
The Competition Authority and the EBRD have enlisted the Centre for Liberal-Democratic Studies (CLDS) as a consultant to help design, implement and manage the forum's operations. The CLDS will cooperate directly with the Competition Authority and the EBRD when designing the forum's structure and management scheme.
The new forum aims to:
- harmonise regional competition laws with global best practices;
- streamline regional competition authority operations; and
- enhance the understanding and functioning of regional markets to improve the overall business environment.
Considering that the abovementioned countries have similar competition laws and authorities and have faced similar hurdles when applying their respective competition acts and raising competition awareness – not to mention their legal and cultural similarities – the forum is expected to enhance competition development in the entire region.
For further information on this topic please contact Srdjana Petronijevic at Moravcevic Vojnovic i Partneri in cooperation with Schoenherr by telephone (+381 11 320 26 00) or email ([email protected]). The Moravcevic Vojnovic i Partneri website can be accessed at www.schoenherr.rs.
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