The Commission for Protection of Competition has instituted ex officio proceedings for investigation of infringement of competition against 172 undertakings operating on the baby care products market. This is the seventh such proceedings opened this year against undertakings operating on the baby care products market.
As in the case of previous six proceedings instituted against undertakings operating on the baby care products market, the Commission has reasonably assumed that the seller and buyers of baby care products have set selling prices and other conditions of trade when arranging the cooperation. The reasonable assumption in this proceedings is based on the fact that the agreements concerned contain the provisions that fix resale prices. The provisions mentioned restrict buyers to independently and autonomously make business decisions relating to the respective pricing policies.
The Law on Protection of Competition defines restrictive agreements as agreements between undertakings which as their purpose or effect have a significant restriction, distortion or prevention of competition in the territory of the Republic of Serbia. They may have a form of contracts, certain contract provisions, express or tacit agreements, concerted practices, as well as decisions made by associations of undertakings, which directly or indirectly set the purchase or selling prices or other conditions of trade.
The Commission believes that the baby care products market is of utmost importance for consumers, as well as for the society as a whole and, for that purpose, all instituted proceedings relating to this market are considered to be of primary importance for the Commission which works intensively on a sector inquiry into the overall baby equipment market, the results of which will be presented to the general public.
All persons in possession of data, documents or other relevant information which could contribute to the accurate fact-finding in the proceedings concerned are called upon to submit said to the Commission for Protection of Competition, 25/IV Savska St., Belgrade.