Karanović & Nikolić Attends Commission’s Anniversary
May, 2016 - Serbia
Karanović & Nikolić attorneys were among the guests at the Republic of Serbia's Commission for the Protection of Competition's 10 year anniversary celebration, which also included an international conference on the topic of the law and policy of competition protection.The conference was opened by Deputy Prime Minister, Prof. Dr Kori Udovički, President of the Commission for Protection of Competition, Dr Miloje Obradović, President of the National Assembly's Committee for Economy, Regional Development, Trade, Tourism and Energy, Dr Aleksandra Tomić, and European Union Delegate, Steffen Hudolin.
The conference was dedicated both to highlighting the first decade of the Commission's practice and experience and analysing future trends in regulation of market competition. One of the main talking points of the event included the announcement of a new competition law under consideration by the Commission's President. While the President pointed out that the current regulations are aligned with EU's policies, he admitted further improvements were necessary, since practice has demonstrated that some procedural mechanisms still need refinement, in order to have more efficient proceedings and avoid legal insecurity. He also took this opportunity to mention the latest enforcement tools the Commission utilised – dawn raids, before rounding up his speech by emphasising the high importance of sustaining the Commission's functional independence. Mr Hudolin supported these claims by adding that Serbia in general has come a long way in terms of adapting to EU's expectations regarding competition protection.
Other highlights included Deputy Prime Minister Udovički and Dr Tomić expressing the support from both the government and the legislature for the Commission's activities, seeing them as an integral part of the process behind building a healthy and more productive business environment in Serbia.
The expert panel of the conference was attended by a number of influential figures from across the business and academic spectrum including Theodor Tanner, President of the Austrian Competition Authority, William Kovacic, Professor at George Washington University, Hassan Qaqaya, former Director of Competition Policy and Consumer Protection at the UN Conference on Trade and Development, as well as many other officials from various regulatory bodies, scientific institutions, and business associations.
