The Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic is an independent central body of state administration of the Slovak Republic for the protection of competition. The Office intervenes in cases of cartels, abuse of a dominant position, vertical agreements; it controls mergers that meet the notification criteria; assesses actions of state and local administration authorities if they restrict competition and ensures the protection of competition in the area of state aid. The Antimonopoly Office applies Slovak and European competition law. Within the European Competition Network (ECN) the Office fulfils the tasks resulting from the membership of the Slovak Republic in the European Union.