Workshop on market studies selection and prioritization of sectors and industries, organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in their Paris headquarters, presented an opportunity for the Commission for Protection of Competition to enhance its know-hows from the area.

The objective of this one-day workshop was to support competition authorities when opting for industry sectors and markets for performing analysis, particularly in cases when no clear indications on market disturbances or competition infringement cases exist.

The workshop encompassed numerous issues relating to various sector inquiries’ objectives and their influence on the selection and prioritization of sectors for sector inquiries, role of strategic factors, including public opinion when selecting and prioritizing sectors, in addition to quantitative and qualitative techniques used when selecting sectors and determining scopes of the studies.

In addition to participation of competition authority representatives from France, Spain and Great Britain, the European Commission representatives also presented their sector inquiries related experiences during the workshop. Ms. Jelena Popović – Markopulos, Department for Sector Inquiries, represented the Commission for Protection of Competition on the occasion.

Seminar on Market Definition, held in Budapest, Hungary, organized by the Regional Center for Competition (RCC), as a joint venture between the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Hungarian Competition Authority (Gazdasági Versenyhivatal, GVH), presented an additional opportunity for professional education of the Commission for Protection of Competition representatives.

The event was dedicated to defining the relevant market, considered as a mandatory phase in nearly all competition proceedings, particularly in concentration control related proceedings. Seminar participants were panelists of the Regional Center for Competition, European Commission, French Competition Administration (Autorité de la concurrence), American Federal Trade Commission and Hungarian Competition Authority, in addition to representatives of participating national competition authorities. Case studies of particular participating countries were presented during the seminar, as well as theoretical cases addressed by working in small groups.

The Commission for Protection of Competition was represented by Ivana Rakić, Department for Investigation of Concentration, and Aleksandra Ravić, Department for Economic Inquiries. Ms. Rakić represented the CPC case study in regards defining the relevant product market in outdoor advertising.

On March 3, 2017, President of the Commission for Protection of Competition enacted a decision on approving implementation of concentration in summary procedure, created by acquiring control on the part of company Agrana Beteiligungs – Aktiengesellschaft – Vienna, Austria, over company Sunoko Ltd., with registered seat in Novi Sad, Republic of Serbia.

Pursuant to the established facts determined during the proceeding, the Commission recognized that by implementing related concentration, no significant structural alterations will occur on the sugar beet production, buy up and processing market, and beet sugar production and wholesale market in the Republic of Serbia.

Agrana Beteiligungs company is present on the market of the Republic of Serbia solely in the sugar wholesale market segment, but only by selling extremely small quantities. On the other relevant markets – sugar beets production, buy up and processing market, and beet sugar production market in the Republic of Serbia, Agrana Beteiligungs company is not present.

The Commission emphasizes that by means of the Decision dated August 11, 2016, Sunoko – Star šećer concentration is conditionally approved, subject to the implementation of certain measures. The aforementioned Decision imposes conditions in the form of behavioral measures and mandatory regular reporting the Commission, aimed at securing market structure and preserving all production capacities, including the sugar refinery TE TO Senta on the market, transparent monitoring of sugar levels and market fluctuations in sugar prices, improving transparency of sugar sale policy and business relations with the buyers, as well as full disclosure of information before the Commission on the level and type of investments to be implemented in the TE TO Senta company aimed at increasing production efficiency.

The listed conditions are still effective.

Representatives of the Commission for Protection of Competition – Marina Joksimović, Senior Advisor in the Department for Competition Infringement, Miroslava Đošić, Senior Advisor in the Department for Legal Affairs and Jelena Grahovac, Senior Advisor in the Department for Economic Inquiries, concluded the two day official visit to the Austrian Federal Competition Authority (Die Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde, BWB).

The visit is organized based on the arrangement for cooperation of previous bilateral meeting held between the Commission President, Miloje Obradović, PhD, and Director General of the Austrian Federal Competition Authority, Theodor Thanner, PhD, with the goal of implementing training courses in the field of conducting dawn raids.
During the visit, series of meetings were organized with the Austrian Federal Competition Authority representatives, exchanging experiences in the domain of conducting dawn raids as one of the most important “tools” for gathering evidence in the cartel detecting cases.

In addition to discussing legal issues from the field of conducting investigations, the focus was placed on experiences arising from the leniency program related implementation, forensic tools used in the fieldwork and when presenting evidence for the courts, as well as current topics from the sector inquiries implementation area in which Austrian and Serbian competition authorities are currently involved.

The visit is evaluated as an exceptional form of bilateral cooperation between institutions and very useful for targeted improvement of professional skills of employees working in the Commission for Protection of Competition of the Republic of Serbia.
The Serbian Commission delegation was met by the Director General, Deputy Head and representatives from investigation, forensic and economy sectors.

In the previous period, and specifically as on January 22, 2017, the Commission for Protection of Competition has intensively conducted an analysis of all claims occurring in the public, relating to the alleged systematic errors arising when calculating the consumed electricity balance for December 2016.

Following the analysis of all claims at the Commission’s disposal, including the “Electric Power Industry of Serbia” statement on the results of conducted internal control, it is concluded that in this case cannot be reasonably assumed that the abuse of dominance has occurred, and thus exist no grounds for instituting procedure ex officio for determining infringement of competition.


The Commission emphasizes that when analyzing all claims of systematic errors arising when calculating the consumed electricity balance of households in December 2016, has established a full cooperation with the competent “Electric Power Industry of Serbia” representatives.

Representatives of the Commission for Protection of Competition, Marko Obradović, Commission Council member, and Jelena Grahovac, Senior Advisor in the Department for Economic Inquiries, have participated at the conference “Experiences from the evidence-based policymaking”.

The conference is organized by the Republic Secretariat for Public Policies in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and PERFORM Project, implemented by Helvetas Swiss Intercooparation SRB Representative Office.

This conference addressed the necessity of systematic alternations crucial for establishing the evidence-based policymaking systems, in addition to experiences and challenges arising from implementing researches in four pilot projects. The four pilot project’s beneficiaries are: Commission for Protection of Competition, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Youth and Sport and Ministry of Culture and the Media.

Commission representative, Jelena Grahovac, presented experiences related to project implementation “Aftermarkets Sector Inquiries” and utilization of gained knowledge. The presentation also addressed the key project lessons-learned, and policymaking-related research benefits to social sciences, research institutes and state authorities as the research beneficiaries.

In the closing address, all project partners have emphasized the high quality of established cooperation during all project implementation phases, a pleasure from taking part in the project, and the need to continue with the implementation of such and similar projects that would be aimed at supporting decision-makers in making informed and analysis-based decisions in solving issues.

President of the Commission for Protection of Competition, Miloje Obradović, PhD, received the visit of the International Monetary Fund Resident Representative in Serbia, Mr. Sebastian Sosa.

Dr Obradović introduced the guest with present activities, as well as Commission’s plans aimed at improving competition policy in our country. During the talks it is concluded that both institutions have an important role in improving competitiveness of our country and in the process of restructuring state-owned and public enterprises, particularly having in mind the Commission’s conduct of proceedings instituted against them with the goal of establishing efficient competition in their related operative sectors.

Within these topics, the responsibility of public enterprises in the context of natural and legal monopolies they hold is particularly emphasized, and the IMF Resident Representative offered assistance and cooperation to the Commission in the related domains.
Special attention is given to the Commission’s relation with sector regulators, and interest to cooperate with all competent authorities and institutions with the goal of enhancing business environment in Serbia.

The meeting was also attended by Marko Paunović, Economist at the IMF Office in Serbia, Marko Obradović, member of the Commission’s Council, and Nina Vasić, Advisor in the Department for Domestic and International Cooperation of the Commission.

President of the Commission for Protection of Competition of the Republic of Serbia, Miloje Obradović, PhD, and Dean of the Faculty of Economics, University of Kragujevac, Professor Petar Veselinović, PhD, have signed the Memorandum on Cooperation between the Commission for Protection of Competition and Faculty of Economics in Kragujevac.

Memorandum on Cooperation defines founding of expert and educational cooperation between these two institutions in the competition policy filed via organizing seminars, visiting lectures of the Commission’s experts, joint thematic workshops, developing students’ internship programs, and joint publishing activities in the competition policy area.


On the occasion of signing the Memorandum, the Commission President emphasized that the introduction of market economy should be encompassed by appropriate knowledge of the competition policy and law as a main free market driving force, as well as by thorough education of economists and lawyers in reference to related regulation drafting and implementation.

The signed document will enable acting in concert towards promoting competition policy and raising awareness of its importance, in addition to introducing an academic course in the field of competition policy as an elective for Masters level students.

Pursuant to the Decision of the Council and Article 47 of the Law on Protection of Competition, the Commission for Protection of Competition conducted the 2015 oil-derivatives wholesale and retail market sector inquiry.

The subject of the report is the competition inquiry in the Republic of Serbia in 2015 on previously defined markets for three oil-derivative categories: petrol, diesel fuel and liquefied petroleum gas.


The sector inquiry encompassed total of 17 business entities, being: Petroleum Industry of Serbia Inc. Novi Sad, Lukoil Srbija Inc. Belgrade, MOL Serbia LLC Belgrade, OMV Srbija LLC Belgrade, Eko Serbia Inc. Belgrade, Petrobart LLC Belgrade, Nafta Inc. Belgrade, Knez Petrol LLC Belgrade, LLC Euro Petrol trade company Subotica, Evolucija 2004 LLC Belgrade, Naftachem LLC for trade and services Sremska Kamenica, LLC Euro gas trading company Subotica, Standard gas LLC Novi Sad, Igmin Petrol LLC Belgrade, Speed LLC Belgrade, Daki petrol LLC Belgrade and Horizon Energy LLC Šimanovci.

The report provides a series of conclusions and recommendations foremost related to the continuance of operations aimed at forming a unique statistical records on the oil-derivatives turnover, increase in business transparency of undertakings, and cooperation of the Commission and competent institutions aimed at creating a legal and business environment that would enable free competition on the market.


Taking into consideration the importance of oil sector for energy-related operations and entire industrial development, the Commission shall, as from March 1, 2017, institute drafting of the 2016 related market competition inquiry.
The Commission expresses its gratitude to all undertakings which have in orderly manner submitted requested data during the conduct of related sector inquiry, and at the same time calls all undertakings and other expert public to send their comments to the report, in addition to proposals and suggestions for the continuance of the inquiry, no later than February 28, 2017, to email address: office.kzk@kzk.gov.rs, with the remark: Comment on the oil-derivatives market sector inquiry.