This month Serbia is again in the spotlight, this time due to the commitments which MasterCard and Visa, respectively, offered to the Serbian NCA.
Elsewhere in the Balkans, the NCAs have been mainly kept busy by merger control.
Serbia
Antitrust
MasterCard and Visa propose commitments to the Serbian NCA
As we have reported, the Serbian NCA is, in separate probes, investigating MasterCard and Visa concerning the setting of interchange fees applicable in the Republic of Serbia. In a bid to end the investigation against it, MasterCard proposed commitments to the NCA, generally consisting in lowering the currently applicable interchange fees. Soon after, Visa followed suit with a similar commitments proposal. We will soon learn whether the NCA deems these commitments sufficient to suspend the respective investigations.
Antitrust
Two new bid rigging cases
The Serbian NCA's focus on bid rigging continues - it has started two new bid rigging cases, concerning alleged collusion in a public procurement procedure organized by the Serbian Electric Power Industry. The first investigation is against four undertakings and the second against three. The alleged subject-matter of the bid rigging is transport of equipment.
Merger control
Eleven new merger clearances
During the previous month, the Serbian NCA cleared as many as 11 transactions, all in Phase I. With this tempo, the NCA looks set to break its record concerning the number of cleared transactions during a calendar year.
Other developments
Sector inquiry into the cement market
The Serbian NCA has performed a sector inquiry into the Serbian market for the production and sale of cement and has now published a summary of its findings. The main players on the Serbian cement market are CRH, Lafarge, Titan, Nexe, and Cemex. The report covers the period 2014-2017.
Montenegro
A quiet month in Montenegro
It was a fairly quiet November in Montenegrin competition law - the only thing worth mentioning is that the NCA cleared one transaction, between Hisense Group (PRC) and Gorenje (Slovenia).
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Antitrust
An abuse of dominance case dropped
Upon investigating an alleged abuse of dominance by a Bosnian company Tesla d.d., the Bosnian NCA established there was no wrongdoing on the part of Tesla d.d. The case against Tesla d.d. had been started by a Bosnian company Bill Colour Metal d.o.o. Tesla d.d. is primarily active in lead processing.
Merger control
During November, the Bosnian NCA cleared two transactions
- Hisense Group Co., Ltd, Qing Dao (PRC) - Gorenje gospodinjski aparati d.d. (Slovenia)
- Grazer Wechselseitige Versicherung AG (Austria) - Atos osiguranje (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Macedonia (FYROM)
Merger control
During November, the Macedonian NCA published notices of as many as eight merger notifications
- Smurfit Kappa Group Plc (Ireland) - Fabrika hartije doo, Avala Ada doo (Serbia)
- MET Renewables AG (Switzerland), O Zone ad (Serbia) - NIS Energowind (Serbia)
- Liberty Steel East Europe (Bidco) (UK) - Assets of ArcelorMittal Holdings AG (Switzerland)
- GeneraliCEE Holding B.V. (Netherlands) - Union Investment Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spółka Akcyjna (Poland)
- Daimler AG (Germany), Volkswagen AG (Germany) - Mobility Trader Holding GmbH (Germany)
- CADM Holdings Limited (Cyprus) - CADM Automotive Sp. z o.o. (Poland)
- Fresenius Medical Care Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH (Germany) - D.Med Consulting GmbH (Germany)
- A1 Telekom Austria AG (Austria) - Unify GmbH (Vienna)
General
Merger control in the Balkans: The app
We have developed an innovative online app for checking the merger filing thresholds in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia (FYROM).
Originally sent by e-mail. Original issue (mailchi.mp) · gajin.rs