Competition/Antitrust

Competition/antitrust have come to the fore in Serbia and other countries in the region, as they prepare for EU membership. While Serbian competition rules are generally based on the EU model, there are local peculiarities and practice which makes local expertise essential.

Our competition team is well versed both in local competition rules and in the relevant EU acquis. The competence of our competition lawyers is unparalleled in the Serbian market – all of them either have a PhD in competition law or are on the way of obtaining it. Such expertise, combined with our lawyers’ practical experience, enables us to swiftly and accurately respond to all competition-related queries.

We cover all areas of competition law (restrictive agreements abuse of dominance, merger control and state aid) and have significant experience in these fields.

In the area of restrictive agreements, our lawyers have drafted a number of individual exemption request to the Serbian, Montenegrin, and Bosnian competition authority, respectively. They have also defended undertakings in antitrust probes, both related to restrictive agreements and with respect to alleged abuse of dominance.

In the area of merger control, our lawyers have prepared dozens of merger filings throughout the region – in no-issue extraterritorial transactions and complex Phase II procedures alike.

We also regularly advise on state aid issues, both as part of wider transaction support and as stand-alone issues.

Our practice

How we stand out?

1. Expertise
   • We are proud to be the only competition team in the region with two attorneys who hold a PhD in competition law.
2. Merger filing app
   • We have developed an innovative way of checking the merger filing thresholds in the Western Balkans. The app can be accessed here. 
3. Competition blog
   • Our competition blog (gajin.rs) is possibly the most relevant source of competition news and insights concerning the Western Balkans.
4. Competition newsletter
   • Each month, our competition team publishes a competition newsletter about the latest developments in the Western Balkans. It is the only such publication around. To subscribe, please click here.
5. Regional approach
   • We fully understand that our clients often view the Western Balkans as one market. So do we - our lawyers have a plethora of experience throughout the region.