Pursuant to Article 47 of the Law on Protection of Competition, the Commission conducted a sectoral analysis of the state of competition in the distribution channels of ceramic tiles and sanitary ware.

A comprehensive analysis of the distribution channels of ceramic tiles and sanitary ware was conducted, in the market of the Republic of Serbia for the period from 2018 until 2020. This also implied determining the relationship between competitors – manufacturers, importers, wholesalers and retailers in the market of ceramic tiles and sanitary ware, assessing their market share and relative strength, analysis of contractual relationships, and the effects that these relationships may have on competition. The focus of the analysis was on the wholesale market of ceramic tiles and sanitary ware, while the market for the production of ceramic tiles and sanitary ware and the retail market of ceramic tiles and sanitary ware were processed in certain segments, solely in order to fully understand the distribution chain of the subject products.

An extensive network of trade in the said products was observed, wholesalers and retailers cooperating with a large number of suppliers, almost all of which are profiled as multi-brand stores with a wide range of different manufacturers, distributors and suppliers. Apart from the afore said, the analysis of the contract indicates that there are certain phenomena that may be potentially controversial from the aspect of competition protection, and the Commission will therefore continue monitoring the behavior of market participants and circumstances that indicate to violations of the Law on Competition.

The Commission would like to thank all market participants who provided the requested information in the course of the analysis.

Representatives of the Commission for Protection of Competition held a lecture at a webinar entitled “Concentration of market participants and effect on the process of realization of assets in bankruptcy proceedings” organized by the Bankruptcy Supervision Agency, with the support of the World Bank.

The aim of this webinar is to introduce the participants to the law on competition governing the area of concentration control, which can occur in bankruptcy proceedings.

111 bankruptcy administrators and judges of commercial courts from all over Serbia took part in the webinar.

The sectoral analysis of the intercity bus transport market in the Republic of Serbia was conducted in cooperation with the representatives of the World Bank within IFC’s Serbia Invest Climate Program. The project of improving the business environment in the Republic of Serbia, which is implemented on the basis of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the International Finance Corporation, envisages that the World Bank will provide technical assistance to the Commission for Protection of Competition for the improvement of competition and market regulation in the Republic of Serbia, through several activities. One of the planned activities is the provision of technical assistance for conducting market research, including markets in which public companies participate, in order to identify and overcome obstacles in the implementation of fundamental market reforms that could affect the performance of the sector.

The subject analysis was prepared by the World Bank team, for the project purposes.

The subject of the analysis is the bus transport market in terms of identifying the basic characteristics of the market and market structure as well as the analysis of the regulatory environment, market performance and analysis of competition in the market through the identification of practices and rules that may distort competition. The analysis concluded that the existing regulatory framework contributes to suboptimal market outcomes and made recommendations for improving the intercity road transport market.

The Commission would like to thank all market participants who provided the requested information in the course of the analysis.

The Commission for Protection of Competition of the Republic of Serbia and the Hellenic Competition Commission have signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Antitrust Cooperation.

The implementation of the Memorandum will allow for the improvement of cooperation between the two authorities through the exchange of experiences and comparative practices in the field of antitrust aimed at achieving economic progress and the well-being of society, in particular consumer welfare.

The Memorandum aims to strengthen cooperation in the field of competition law and policy and create favorable conditions for the development of bilateral relations, which is particularly important in the context of changes occurring in markets that competition authorities face.