New Competition Protection Agency Sets Out Enforcement Priorities

The start of 2013 was marked by the long-awaited introduction of a new antitrust authority - the Competition Protection Agency - which will be led by Andrej Kraaek.

The internal organisation of the agency differs from the structure of the Competition Protection Office (for further information please see "Competition authority reorganised: finally, again and for the last time?"). The senate and the president of the senate will be responsible for adopting decisions in individual cases and the agency will be run by the director and the council. The agency has been reinforced with 13 employees from other ministries and public bodies, which should enable quicker resolution of proceedings.

According to Kraaek, the senate has already adopted decisions in three merger notification cases and is in the process of adopting a work programme that will be confirmed by the government. The agency's enforcement priorities will focus on the markets that have the greatest influence on the national economy and those in which it receives the highest number of complaints. These are likely to include the energy, postal services, food and telecommunications sectors, according to the proposals of the agency's employees, but the programme has not yet been made public.

The agency will also continue the in-depth market investigation of the food retail sector, which was instigated by the former Competition Protection Office, but Kraaek has refused to...