The Regional Competition Center was established in Budapest in 2005 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) with the objective of strengthening expertise in competition law and policy. Through the organization of workshops and educational programs, the Center provides support to competition authorities across Eastern and Southeastern Europe, as well as Central Asia.

The Commission for Protection of Competition of the Republic of Serbia has been a permanent participant in the activities of the Center since 2007.
Since its inception, the Regional Competition Center has organized 158 events, gathering nearly 5,700 participants and more than 1,000 speakers who have contributed their expertise and insights. At present, the Center engages competition authorities from 17 countries across Southeastern Europe and Central Asia.

The conference was attended by distinguished guests, including Benoît Cœuré, President of the French Competition Authority and Chair of the OECD Competition Committee, as well as Carmine Di Noia, Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs at the OECD. The Commission for Protection of Competition was represented by Council Member Miroslava Đošić and Senior Advisor Jelena Grahovac.

Representatives of the Commission for Protection of Competition conducted a study visit to the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority (DCAA) and other institutions within the Danish public procurement system. The visit took place within the framework of the “Public Procurement Improvement Project,” which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and organized by NALED. Alongside the representatives of the Commission, representatives from the Public Procurement Office and the project were also involved.

One of the primary objectives of the visit was to gain a deeper understanding of the possibilities and technical features of new software, as well as the methodologies employed by the Danish Competition Authority for detecting suspicious bids in public procurement procedures. The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority has created software named “Bid Viewer,” designed to identify indicators of collusion in public procurement activities. Recognizing that the software can be an effective tool for identifying suspicions of collusion in public procurement, the continuation of bilateral cooperation with the Danish Competition Authority will be pursued in this context.

During the study visit, meetings were also held with institutions within the public procurement system: The meetings included the Public Procurement Enterprise SKI, the City of Copenhagen – Department of Public Procurement (Commune of Copenhagen), the Agency for Public Finance and Management within the Ministry of Finance – Department of State Procurement Program, the Advisory Unit for State Procurement, as well as the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Denmark.

The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) of the People’s Republic of China held a National Conference on Fair Competition in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province.

Council member of the Commission for Protection of Competition, Čedomir Radojčić, addressed the attendees via video message, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between the Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People’s Republic of China. The Commission for Protection of Competition and the State Administration for Market Regulation have signed a memorandum of cooperation and fostered a long-standing partnership that is vital for advancing competition protection internationally, harmonizing the legal framework, and improving economic cooperation between China and Serbia.

The conference was opened by Luo Wen, Minister of the State Administration for Market Regulation, who highlighted in his introductory speech that the primary goal of their institution is to accelerate the establishment of a unified national market, which will be driven by the comparative development of competition principles.

The conference in Wuhan featured participants that included officials from Chinese institutions, as well as experts from various competition authorities, such as representatives from Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Italy, Spain, the United States, and others. Additionally, representatives from international organizations, including the OECD, the EU, and BRICS, were also present.

The Commission for Protection of Competition of the Republic of Serbia took part in the 23rd Annual Conference of the International Competition Network (ICN), under the auspices of the ICN Secretariat. The conference was held in Sauipe, Brazil, and hosted by Brazil’s competition authority, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE).
During the conference, Ms. Nina Vasić, LL.M., Senior Advisor in the Department for Legal Affairs and Domestic and International Cooperation at the Commission, participated as a speaker in the panel of the ICN Agency Effectiveness Working Group (ICN AEWG). The panel addressed the topic of effective training and capacity development for competition authorities.

This year’s conference addressed some of the most relevant topics in competition protection, such as combating cartels in the face of socio-economic challenges and digitalization, and the interplay between global markets and local needs in agriculture and food supply. It also featured discussions on the activities of ICN working groups, covering key issues like the abuse of dominant market positions, anti-cartel enforcement, enhancing the effectiveness of competition authorities, and promoting competition advocacy to the public.

The conference brought together approximately 400 participants from 80 countries, including representatives from competition authorities, international organizations, university professors, lawyers, consultants specializing in competition law, and other experts in the field.

The delegation of the Commission for the Protection of Competition of North Macedonia, led by President Ana Nikoloska, visited the Commission for Protection of Competition and held discussions with Council members Čedomir Radojčić and Siniša Milošević.

The discussions primarily focused on bilateral cooperation in the enforcement of competition protection policies and on exploring concrete avenues for enhancing collaboration, as defined by the Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation in the area of competition policy and law, signed in 2016.

The discussions also encompassed the exchange of experiences between the two institutions in the context of Serbia’s and North Macedonia’s EU accession processes, as well as the continued enhancement of regional cooperation among competition authorities.
The meeting was also attended by Rozana Vankovska, member of the North Macedonian Commission, Jovan Todorov, Head of the State Aid Department of North Macedonia’s CPC, and Mile Uzunovski, Head of the Sector within the Commission for Protection of Competition.

The Commission for Protection of Competition, in partnership with the OECD Competition Division and the OECD Southeast Europe Division, as well as the Republic Secretariat for Public Policies, conducted a seminar focused on assessing the impact of regulations on market competition.

The seminar featured addresses from Čedomir Radojčić, a member of the Council of the Commission for Protection of Competition; Sanja Mešanović, Deputy Director of the Republic Secretariat for Public Policies; and Gordana Lukić, Head of the Sector for Legal Affairs, Domestic and International Cooperation at the Commission for Protection of Competition.

The seminar was attended by civil servants involved in drafting regulations at ministries and other organizations exercising public authority. The seminar was also supported through the OECD project “Fair Market Conditions for Competitiveness” (https://www.oecd.org/south-east-europe/programme/fair-market-conditions-adriatic.htm).

The Commission’s guidelines for drafting compliance programs, with the accompanying model and compliance checklists, won this year’s Antitrust Writing Awards readers vote award in the section of the best “Soft Law” materials of competition authorities (Soft Laws & Studies – Best ” soft laws” and studies) in the region of Europe. The full name of the award is “Best Soft Law, Europe, Readers Choice – 2024 Antitrust Writing Awards”.

These prestigious awards are organized by the publication Concurrences and George Washington University, and the goal is to promote the study of competition law and contribute to the promotion and advocacy of competition protection (antitrust advocacy) in the spheres of law and economics.

The Commission’s publication is one of the eight awarded “Soft Law” materials of competition authorities, and in addition to the Commission’s guidelines, the works of the European Commission and the competition protection bodies of the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Hungary, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Turkey, were eligible for votes in the category “Europe”.

The selection of the Best “soft laws” and studies aims to contribute to the development of the culture and awareness of competition protection. This category seeks to support the international promotion and advocacy of competition protection (antitrust advocacy) by highlighting the most expedient and relevant materials of competition protection bodies that do not refer to specific subjects and procedures, such as guidelines, market analyses, etc. It aims to single out some of the most interesting administrative practices that could be applied more often and more widely.

The Commission for the Protection of Competition and the National Competition Commission of Paraguay (CONACOM – Comisión Nacional de la Competencia) held a joint online session where representatives of the Commission presented the working method related to the independent detection of cartels without relying on the leniency program,notifications or cooperation with other authorities.

Officials and representatives of the Paraguayan authorities were explained the cartel detection method developed by the Commission and were familiarized with its practice regarding the detection and proof of concerted practices as a type of restrictive agreement.

The collaboration took place during the 22nd annual conference “Global Competition Forum” Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) held in Paris, where CONACOM officials expressed interest in the method presented by the Commission for the Protection of Competition.

A member of the Council of the National Competition Commission of Paraguay, Eduardo Barros, expressed his gratitude to the Commission for the presentation held to CONACOM employees.

The Commission for Protection of Competition’s Guidelines for Drafting Competition Compliance Programs, with the Template Competition Compliance Program accompanying the Guidelines and two Competition Checklists for assessing exposure of undertakings to risks of competition infringements, have been nominated this year for the Antitrust Writing Awards, organized by Concurrences and George Washington University. The aim of the Antitrust Writing Awards is to promote competition scholarship and contribute to competition advocacy in the legal and economic fields.

The publication in English is nominated in the section of the best Soft Laws & Studies of competition authorities in the subcategory “Europe”. The Commission is in the same category with the European Commission and competition authorities of the UK, France, Austria, Hungary, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Turkey.

The “Best Soft Laws & Studies” selection aims to contribute to developing antitrust culture and awareness. It seeks to support international antitrust advocacy by drawing attention to the most meaningful non-enforcement documents published by competition agencies such as guidelines, market studies, etc. It aims at singling out some of the most interesting administration practices that could be usefully applied more generally.

As in previous years, the nominations are evaluated by a jury composed of leading antitrust enforcers, academics, and counsel and at the same time there is an audience vote.

The Commission for the Protection of Competition participated in the 22nd annual conference “Global Forum on Competition”, which is traditionally organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), at its headquarters in Paris.

Upon a special invitation of the OECD, within the panel “Alternatives to the Leniency Programmes”, the Commission’s work method was presented, which refers to the proactive independent detection of cartels without relying on the leniency program, reports or cooperation with other authorities. The presentation attracted considerable attention from the representatives of the competition protection authorities present and was accompanied by questions, discussion and positive evaluations.

To this year’s conference, which took place from December 7 to 8, 2023, guests from around 110 competition protection authorities and international organizations were invited, and the topics were: “From globalization to regionalization”, “Alternatives to the leniency programmes”, “Using economic evidence in cartel cases” and “Ex-post evaluation of measures imposed in merger investigation procedures”

The conference represented a good way of connecting the Commission with representatives of competition protection authorities from all over the world and directly presenting the work of the Commission in an international framework.