Public companies violate competition rules most

BELGRADE - Local companies in Serbia, particularly public enterprises, violate the rules of competition the most, President of the Commission for the Protection of Competition Miloje Obradovic said Wednesday.

"Most of the problems we have are connected with public enterprises, because the public sector still does not respect competition in business, because respect of competition was not promoted earlier," Obradovic said at the Palace of Serbia during a break in a meeting dedicated to the Competition Day in Serbia.

He added that the Commission should first be brought to an institutional and administrative level Serbia needs.

The aim of this body is not only to penalize, as this leads to destruction of companies, but rather to help the companies to understand the role and importance of competition, he said.

"We have a quite good, European law," Obradovic said, adding that, in practice, foreign companies doing business in Serbia make great contribution to protection of competitive relations.

"They are working seriously on that, by educating their people and management, unlike Serbian companies which are still not working on competition enough," he pointed out.

GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS COMMISSION FOR PROTECTION OF COMPETITION

Serbian Minister of Economy Zeljko Sertic has said that the Serbian government is offering full support to independent regulatory bodies, including the Commission for Protection of Competition, whose powers have been broadened.

"Thereby, conditions are being created for a strong and competitive economy," the minister said at a meeting held on the occasion of the Competition Day in Serbia.

The amendments to the Law on Protection of Competition adopted one year and a...