Competition newsletter
Every issue since 2018, 73 in total: decisions, fines, merger control and new rules across the Western Balkans, written by our competition team.
SubscribeIssues: 73
2026
- 8 July 2026Q2 2026Serbian Competition Authority Gets UTP Competencies · Serbian Competition Authority Market-Tests Commitments in Klett Textbook Investigation · Serbian Competition Authority Opens In-Depth Review of MK Group / Crvenka Sugar Merger
- 9 April 2026Q1 2026Main developments in competition law and policy 2025 – Western Balkans · Vaillant d.o.o. fined for RPM · Chambers Europe and Legal 500 EMEA (2026 editions)
- 12 January 2026November-December 2025NCA investigates bid rigging · 13 new merger clearances · One clearance with fine for late filing
2025
- 10 November 2025September-October 2025NCA issues an infringement decision · Seven new merger clearances · Concentration in telecom sector cleared conditionally
- 17 September 2025July-August 2025NCA receives a donation of forensic software · 18 new merger clearances · New Law on State Aid Control adopted
- 16 July 2025May-June 2025Five new merger clearances · One new merger clearance · 20 new merger notifications
- 6 May 2025March-April 2025NCA examines private healthcare services · 21 new merger clearances · Three new merger notifications
- 10 March 2025January-February 2025NCA investigates the medicines market · Draft amendments to the Competition Act published · NCA warns food retail chains
- 8 January 2025November-December 2024NCA investigates a tachograph company for abuse of dominance · NCA establishes a restrictive agreement between telecom operators · Four new merger notifications
2024
- 5 November 2024September-October 2024NCA investigates four largest food retailers · A large gun-jumping fine imposed · Twelve new merger clearances
- 5 September 2024July-August 2024Investigation on the market for measuring instruments · Two new gun-jumping investigations · Nine new merger clearances
- 10 July 2024May-June 2024Four new block exemption regulations on the cards · Five new merger notifications · A new head of the NCA
- 3 May 2024March-April 2024NCA sanctions collusion of coffee producers · Sectoral inquiry into the pellet market · Combination of coffee producers cleared conditionally
- 11 March 2024January-February 2024Collusion between coffee producers penalized · A conditional clearance on the coffee market · Four new merger notifications
- 8 January 2024November-December 2023Phase II probe in the coffee market · 14 new merger notifications · Two new merger notifications
2023
- 13 November 2023September-October 2023NCA publishes compliance programs guidelines · 13 new merger notifications · Ex-post control of aid to Montenegro's steel producer
- 11 September 2023July-August 2023Quiet antitrust summer in Serbia · Montenegrin Association of Travel Agencies investigated · 12 new merger notifications
- 10 July 2023May-June 2023NCA starts a new bid rigging probe · Three travel agencies in a bid rigging probe · Six new merger notifications
- 2 May 2023March-April 2023Law firm rankings: Doklestic Repic & Gajin ranked in Chambers Europe and Legal 500 EMEA · Doklestic Repic & Gajin merger control app goes iOS · Gun-jumping investigation in the hospitality sector
- 2 March 2023January-February 2023Vaillant in RPM probe · NCA imposes another modest fine for gun jumping · Sectoral inquiry into the market for food delivery apps concluded
- 12 January 2023December 2022Main Developments in Competition Law and Policy in 2022: Western Balkans · Is gun-jumping enforcement in Serbia actually a paper tiger? · Sectoral inquiry into the market for courier services concluded
2022
- 1 December 2022September-November 2022Distribution of Apple products investigated · Food delivery app in abuse of dominance probe · Three new gun-jumping investigations
- 7 September 2022June-August 2022NCA publishes model compliance program · New head of competition authority appointed · Eleven new merger notifications
- 8 June 2022May 2022Producer of ceramic tiles investigated for RPM · Investment assistance to Henkel cleared · Eight new merger decisions
- 11 May 2022April 2022Doklestic Repic & Gajin a leading firm across three jurisdictions · Doklestic Repic & Gajin retains a Tier 2 ranking for Competition in Serbia · Investment aid to Hansgrohe cleared
- 4 April 2022March 2022Sectoral inquiry into intercity bus transportation published · Serbian and Greek NCAs to strengthen cooperation · 11 new merger decisions
- 7 March 2022February 2022Bid rigging in public procurement · DR&G recommended in The Legal 500 Green Guide · Two restrictive agreements exempted
- 7 February 2022January 2022Main developments in competition law and policy in 2021: Western Balkans · Inv · A vertical agreement found unlawful
- 10 January 2022December 2021Serbian NCA publishes guidelines on competition compliance programs · Merger control in Serbia: What are the trends? · Subsidies to producer of parts for car industry cleared
2021
- 30 November 2021November 2021Merger control in Serbia: What are the trends? · First incompatibility decision in Serbia · State aid watchdog assesses aid for renewable energy
- 2 November 2021October 2021Abuse of dominance investigation against a publisher of textbooks · Individual exemption in Serbia: What happened in 2020? · Three new regulations
- 4 October 2021September 2021NCA investigates leading suppliers of ground coffee in Serbia · NCA opens a new gun-jumping investigation · Government assistance to Niš airport cleared
- 1 September 2021July-August 2021Does Serbian competition law allow a ban on internet sales? · NCA accepts commitment proposals by Imlek · Fines for gun jumping in Serbia - the story so far
- 1 July 2021June 2021NCA market tests two commitment proposal by Imlek · A quiet month in Montenegro · Bosnian NCA gets a new head
- 1 June 2021May 2021Sector inquiry into tour operators market · State aid for digitalization of the archives of the public broadcaster cleared · NCA probes DMD Delta
- 4 May 2021April 2021Agreements between telecom operators individually exempted · Gun-jumping fine for Fortenova and a probe against Ernst & Young · Investment aid to Healthcare Europe doo cleared
- 1 April 2021March 2021New regional aid and de minimis regulations · EUR 28 million aid to Continental Automotive cleared · Doklestic Repic & Gajin lawyers feature in the latest Chambers guide
- 4 March 2021February 2021Bus station operator abused dominance · A restrictive agreement between Crnogorski Telekom and Voli Trade individually exempted · Six new merger clearances
- 1 February 2021January 2021Competition law in Serbia in 2020 · Assistance for development of a resort complex cleared · Competition law in Montenegro in 2020
- 5 January 2021December 2020RPM in sale of Audi cars investigated · NCA completes four antitrust investigations · Merger control in Serbia
2020
- 2 December 2020November 2020A new Phase II · Serbia grants EUR 41 million of aid to Toyo Tire · One new merger notification
- 4 November 2020October 2020Gun jumping investigation in pharma sector · Phase II probe in steel industry · New regional aid regulation on the table
- 5 October 2020September 2020NCA investigates why consumer electronics are cheaper in Hungary than in Serbia · NCA investigates distributor of Nespresso machines · Four new merger decisions
- 1 September 2020July-August 2020Bus station operator investigated · Combination in pesticide industry cleared in Phase II · Aid to Toyo Tire cleared
- 2 July 2020June 2020Regular merger control deadlines apply · Six new merger clearances · Support for a broadband network in rural Serbia cleared
- 2 June 2020May 2020State of emergency lifted · Merger control in Serbia: 2019 · NCA issues guidance on merger control rules
- 4 May 2020April 2020Serbia in a state of emergency · Deadlines for merger control in Serbia during the COVID-19 outbreak · Two special State aid regulations adopted
- 1 April 2020March 2020Serbia in a state of emergency · Merger control deadlines during COVID-19 · Phase II merger probe in the phytopharmacy sector
- 4 March 2020February 2020Twenty three undertakings in RPM probe · Dawn raids in bid rigging probe · Conditional merger clearance in retail of consumer electronics
- 3 February 2020January 2020Competition law in Serbia: 2019 · Eleven new merger decisions · New State Aid Commission appointed
2019
- 2 December 2019November-December 2019Merger in baking industry cleared conditionally · Aid to Brose International GmbH cleared · Serbian NCA gets new leadership
- 4 November 2019October 2019Leniency application leads to antitrust fines for bid rigging · NCA clarifies whether acquisition of NPLs triggers merger filing · NCA investigates Fortenova for gun jumping in takeover of Agrokor assets
- 30 September 2019September 2019Serbia: Wait for First Cross-Border Antitrust Fine Continues · Individual Exemption in Serbia: 2018 · Nine new merger decisions
- 2 September 2019August 2019Nine new merger decisions · Three new state aid decisions · A quiet month in Montenegro
- 31 July 2019July 2019A concentration between leading retailers of consumer electronics goes to Phase II · Telecom's acquisition of a local operator cleared after a Phase II investigation · A new law on State aid control on the cards
- 1 July 2019June 2019Police assist NCA in dawn raid · Merger in baking industry goes into Phase II · Air Serbia
- 31 May 2019May 2019Eight new merger decisions · Draft of new Competition Act published · Unifying and determining the prices of medicine allowed
- 8 May 2019April 2019Bus station operator in abuse of dominance probe · Market test of commitments offered by heating plant · Five new merger decisions
- 1 April 2019March 2019Thirteen new merger decisions · Two new Phase II investigations · Fourteen new State aid decisions
- 28 February 2019February 2019Four new merger decisions · Merger Control in Serbia: 2018 · Five new State aid decisions
- 4 February 2019January 2019Competition Law in Serbia: 2018 · Fourteen new merger decisions · Two new State aid decisions
- 8 January 2019December 2018Fine for bid rigging in public procurement · Proceedings against 11 undertakings active in the market for technical inspection of cars · Thirteen new merger decisions
2018
- 10 December 2018November 2018MasterCard and Visa propose commitments to the Serbian NCA · Two new bid rigging cases · Eleven new merger clearances
- 8 November 2018October 2018Serbian NCA investigates Visa · Eight new merger decisions · One new State aid decision
- 2 October 2018September 2018Mastercard investigated for its interchange fees in Serbia · Dawn raids in four pharmaceutical wholesalers, bid rigging probe launched · NCA opens 172 investigations in the baby equipment market
- 3 September 2018August 2018Baby equipment again in the spotlight · Serbian NCA "has no jurisdiction over extraterritorial vertical agreements" · Twelve new merger clearances
- 1 August 2018July 2018NCA hints at introduction of self-assessment of restrictive agreements · Thirteen new merger decisions · State aid post-Brexit: what can UK learn from Serbia’s experience?
- 5 July 2018June 2018Bid rigging investigation following dawn raids · Market test of commitments by a bus station · Abuse of dominance probe against a heating company
- 5 June 2018May 2018Antitrust probe against a Polish sports equipment company · The NCA publishes its guidance on dawn raids · Antitrust probe against the Serbian Bar Association terminated
- 3 May 2018April 2018Baby equipment: Two dawn raids in an RPM case · Eight new State aid decisions · Legal 500 rankings for Competition
- 29 March 2018March 2018Antitrust · Seven new merger decisions · New decree for attracting foreign investments cleared under State aid rules
- 27 February 2018February 2018Merger Filing in the Balkans: The Basics · The first conditional clearance of 2018 · Six Phase I clearances
- 29 January 2018January 2018Competition law in Serbia: 2017 · An abuse of dominance investigation against the largest Serbian cable operator? · Bid rigging in a cafe and sportswear price fixing