Aktualita
The Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic published its Annual Report 2013
Content
The Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic published its Annual Report 2013 in which it summarised its activities and outputs in the last year.
In its activity the Office focused mainly on revealing the most harmful anticompetitive practices – horizontal cartels. It has intensified unannounced inspections in the premises of undertakings with the aim to receive relevant evidence, which would help to reveal the cartels and appropriately sanction them. Besides the cartels the annual report summarises activities of the Office and the statistical data also in the area of abuse of dominant position, vertical agreements and other forms of anti-competitive practices. Last year the Office paid increased attention to analysis of potential competition issues in consumer-sensitive field of heating sector, financial services and food industry.
In the legislation area the Office introduced the amendment to the Act on Protection of Competition. Through more flexible and client oriented approach the Office wants to improve the business environment. Simultaneously it introduces new elements into the Act and thus approximates the Slovak competition law to the European one.
Year 2013 was notable also in the view of court review. The Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic upheld the correctness of the Office´s decisions in four significant cases, in which both the Slovak and the European competition law have been infringed. Advocacy activity was one of the substantial parts of agenda, through which the Office actively participated in the interministry comment procedure and it has been regularly informing on competition policy through various events.
In its activity the Office focused mainly on revealing the most harmful anticompetitive practices – horizontal cartels. It has intensified unannounced inspections in the premises of undertakings with the aim to receive relevant evidence, which would help to reveal the cartels and appropriately sanction them. Besides the cartels the annual report summarises activities of the Office and the statistical data also in the area of abuse of dominant position, vertical agreements and other forms of anti-competitive practices. Last year the Office paid increased attention to analysis of potential competition issues in consumer-sensitive field of heating sector, financial services and food industry.
In the legislation area the Office introduced the amendment to the Act on Protection of Competition. Through more flexible and client oriented approach the Office wants to improve the business environment. Simultaneously it introduces new elements into the Act and thus approximates the Slovak competition law to the European one.
Year 2013 was notable also in the view of court review. The Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic upheld the correctness of the Office´s decisions in four significant cases, in which both the Slovak and the European competition law have been infringed. Advocacy activity was one of the substantial parts of agenda, through which the Office actively participated in the interministry comment procedure and it has been regularly informing on competition policy through various events.