Geneva, 11 November 2010 -- Serbia will be the next country to participate in a voluntary peer review of its competition law and policies, government officials announced today at an UNCTAD-hosted conference marking 30 years of United Nations standards on fair economic competition.
The country will be the ninth to undergo a voluntary peer review. Such reviews are carried out at annual meetings on the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices. These standards are usually referred to as the UN Set on Competition Policy.
"We are honoured to be the ninth country selected for peer review," said Dragan Penezic, Head of the International Cooperation Division of Serbia´s Commission for the Protection of Competition. "We hope to benefit from technical cooperation with UNCTAD. A particular area in which we would benefit from assistance is education of our people on how to actually implement competition law in practice."
This year´s conference is the 6th review conference on the Set. Review conferences are held every five years to consider how the standards apply in current circumstances. Under the terms of the Set, UNCTAD hosts annual meetings and review conferences and carries out research and analysis on the role of fair competition in economic development.
A reformed Serbian Law on Protection of Competition entered into force at the beginning of this year. The measure broadens and strengthens the mandate of the country´s Commission for Protection of Competition. A Serbian delegation led by the President of the Commission attended this week´s conference.
Serbia expects to benefit greatly from the voluntary peer review and related exchanges of experience, national officials said. Findings and policy recommendations from the peer review report will be used by UNCTAD and Serbia to design follow-up technical assistance activities to reinforce the effectiveness of competition law enforcement in Serbia. Serbia is calling upon potential donors to provide financial support and expertise for these follow-up activities.
