Competition Law Framework in Kosovo and the Role of the EU in Promoting Competition Policies in Other Countries and Regions Wishing to Join the Block

• Authors: Avdylkader Mucaj

Abstracts

FR

L’objectif de cet article est, d’une part, de fournir un aperçu du cadre du droit de la concurrence au Kosovo en ce qui concerne la constitution de l’Autorité de la concurrence du Kosovo («l’Autorité»), sa conception institutionnelle ainsi que les critères de sélection des membres de la Commission au sein de l’Autorité, qui constitue l’organe décisionnel le plus important dans le domaine du droit de la concurrence au Kosovo. D’autre part, il présente certaines des défis auxquels l’Autorité ainsi que les tribunaux sont confrontés en ce qui concerne l’application effective des dispositions du droit de la concurrence au Kosovo. En outre, les trois seules affaires décidées par l’Autorité, depuis sa création en 2008, sont brièvement abordées. Enfin, l’article tente de contextualiser le rôle de l’UE dans la promulgation et l’application du droit de la concurrence dans les pays de l’Europe du Sud-Est, avec un accent particulier sur le Kosovo. En l’absence d’une perspective européenne sur ces pays, l’auteur pense que le contexte qui en résulterait du point de vue de la compétitivité changerait radicalement en l’absence d’efforts sérieux de la part des États.

EN

The aim of this article is, on the one hand, to provide an overview of the competition law framework in Kosovo vis-á-vis the establishment of the Kosovo Competition Authority (hereinafter; the Authority), its institutional design as well as the criteria for becoming a member of the Commission within the Authority, which is the most important decision-making body in the field of competition law in Kosovo. On the other hand, it discusses some of the challenges the Authority as well as the courts are facing as regards the effective enforcement of competition law provisions in Kosovo, be it procedural or substantive. In addition, the only three cases decided by the Authority, since its establishment in 2008, are briefly discussed. Last but not least, it tries to contextualise the role of the EU concerning enacting as well as enforcing competition law in some of the South East Europe (hereinafter; SEE) countries, with the main focus placed on Kosovo. Without the European perspective, it is convincing to say that the picture that would result from a competitiveness viewpoint would change dramatically, although the EU’s efforts alone are not sufficient in the absence of serious efforts by the states themselves.

Keywords

EN

Competition Law; Institutional Design; Enforcement; Challenges; Kosovo

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Warszawski. Wydział Nauk Ekonomicznych
• Journal: Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies
• Year: 2020
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 22
• Pages: 89-116

Dates

published

2020

Contributors

author

Avdylkader Mucaj

• University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law

• https://orcid.org/0000000296654492

References

• Basic Court of Pristina – Administrative Department (2014). Ruling Refusing the Complaint of Dukagjini, no A184/11.
• Basic Court of Pristina – Administrative Department. (2014). Dukagjini Ruling, no A184/11.
• Bernatt, M. (2016). Effectiveness of Judicial Review in the Polish Competition Law System and the Place for Judicial Deference. Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies, 9(14). DOI: 10.7172/1689-9024.YARS.2016.9.14.4.
• Bernatt, M. (2019). Rule of Law Crisis, Judiciary and Competition Law. Legal Issues of Economic Integration, 46(4). DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3431631.
• Çeku, M.O. (2015). Competition Law in Kosovo: Problems and Challenges. Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies, 8(11).
• Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo. (2008). Article 10.
• Cooper, J.C., Pautler, P., Zywicki, T.J. (2005). The Theory and Practice of Competition Advocacy at the FTC. Antitrust Law Journal, 72(3).
• Countries toward European Integration: The Case of Albania. The Western Balkans Policy Review, 1(1).
• Damien Geradin, Competition Law (2006). In Elgar Encyclopedia of Comparative Law, J.M. Smits (ed.), Edward Elgar, 172.
• Dukagjini. (2011). Administrative suit to the Supreme Court of Kosovo.
• Dukagjini. (2015). Request for Extraordinary Review Against the Judgment of the Court of Appeal, no AA97/2015, for the Supreme Court of Kosovo.
• Ehlermann, C.D., Laudati, L.L. (eds) (1997). European Competition Law Annual 1997: The Objectives of Competition Policy. Hart Publishing.
• European Commission (1997). Agenda 2000 – Commission Opinion on Slovenia’s Application for Membership of the European Union.
• European Commission (1998). Regular Report on Slovenia’s Progress Towards Accession.
• European Commission (2000). Regular Report on Slovenia’s Progress Towards Accession.
• European Commission (2002). Regular Report on Slovenia’s Progress Towards Accession (2002).
• European Commission (2003). Comprehensive Monitoring Report on Slovenia’s Preparations for Membership.
• European Commission (2007). Croatia 2007 Progress Report.
• European Commission (2008). Croatia 2008 Progress Report.
• European Commission (2008). Kosovo Progress Report.
• European Commission (2009). Croatia 2009 Progress Report.
• European Commission (2010). Croatia 2010 Progress Report.
• European Commission (2011). Croatia 2011 Progress Report.
• European Commission (2015). Kosovo Progress Report.
• European Commission (2016). Kosovo Progress Report.
• European Union IPA Programme, EU Support to the Kosovo Competition Authority and State Aid Commission, EuropeAid/139447/DH/SER/XK, 2019–2022.
• European Union IPA Programme, Supporting the Albanian Competition Authority and State Aid Department, EuropeAid/128368/C/SER/AL, 2011.
• European Union, EU Assistance Programme 2007, Implementing Croatian Competition and State Aid policies, accomplished in 2011. Croatia benefited greatly from many EU-supported projects in the field of competition.
• Evenet, S.J. (2006). Competition Advocacy: Time For a Rethink Symposium on Competition Law and Policy in Developing Countries. Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business, 26(3), 495.
• Ezrachi, A. (2016). Sponge, Journal of Antitrust Enforcement, 5(1), 49.
• Fatur, A., Podobnik, K., Vlahek, A. (2016). Competition Law in Slovenia. Wolters Kluwer.
• Fox, E.M. (1981). Modernization of Antitrust: A New Equilibrium. Cornell Law Review, 66(6), 1140.
• Fox, E.M. (2010). Antitrust and Institutions: Design and Change. Loyola University Chicago Law Journal, 41(3), 473.
• Gal, M.S. (2004). The Ecology of Antitrust Preconditions for Competition Law Enforcement in Developing Countries. NYU Law and Economics Working Papers, Paper 10.
• Gentzkow, M., Shapiro, J.M. (2008). Competition and Truth in the Market for News. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 22(2).
• Ginsburg, D.H. (2010). Originalism and Economic Analysis: Two Case Studies of Consistency and Coherence in Supreme Court Decision Making. Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, 33(1), 217.
• Gormsen, L. (2010). A Principled Approach to Abuse of Dominance in European Competition Law. 1st edn, Cambridge University Press.
• Government of Kosovo. (2009). Decision No 02/56 on the Implementation of Fiscal Cash Registers throughout Kosovo.
• Government of Kosovo. (2016). Decision No 07/83.
• Gruda, S. and Melani, P. (2010). Some Challenges of Competition Authorities of Small.
• Guidi, M. (2016). Competition Policy Enforcement in EU Member States: What is Independence For? Palgrave Macmillan.
• International Competition Network (2003). Capacity Building and Technical Assistance-Building Credible Competition Authorities in Developing and Transition Economies. Report prepared by the ICN Working Group on Capacity Building and Competition Policy Implementation.
• Karova, R. and Botta, M. (2010). Five Years Enforcement of the Competition Law in the Republic of Macedonia – Time for an Assessment. Mediterranean Competition Bulletin, 56.
• Kosovo Competition Authority. (2010). Notice for Restriction and Distortion of Competition by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
• Kosovo Competition Authority. (2010). Records of hearings with the representatives of the enterprises Gekos and Dukagjini.
• Kosovo Competition Authority. (2010). Decision on the concerted practice for the sale of fiscal cash electronic devices between enterprises Dukagjini and Gekos.
• Kosovo Competition Authority. (2012). Request for the Ministry of Trade and Industry to Review its Decision, no 01/4508/2012.
• Kosovo Competition Authority. (2014). Appeal to the Appeal Court of Pristina – Administrative Department, Against Ruling no A184/11.
• Kosovo Competition Authority. (2017). Annual Report 2017, Available https://ak.rks-gov.net/kuadri_ligjor. Last accessed 10 October 2019.
• Kovacic, W.E. (1997). Getting Started: Creating New Competition Policy Institutions in Transition Economies. Brooklyn Journal of International Law, 23(2), 403.
• Kovacic, W.E. (2001). Institutional Foundation for Economic Legal Reform Transition Economies: The Case of Competition Policy and Antitrust Enforcement, Chicago-Kent Law Review, 77, 267.
• Kovacic, W.E. (2011). Hugh M Hollman and Patricia Grant, ‘How Does Your Competition Agency Measure Up?, European Competition Journal, 7(1), 25.
• Kovacic, W.E. (2012). Lessons of Competition Policy Reform in Transition Economies for US Antitrust Policy. St John’s Law Review, 36, 174(2).
• Law no 03/L-229 on Protection of Competition (Official Gazette No 88/2010, 25.11.2010), as amended and supplemented by Law no 04/L-226 (Official Gazette No 17/2014, 10.03.2014).
• Law no 2004/36 on Competition (Official Gazette 14/2007, 01.07.2007).
• Martyniszyn, M., Bernatt, M. (2020). Implementing a competition law system-Three decades of Polish experience. Journal of Antitrust Enforcement, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/jaenfo/jnz016.
• Mucaj, A. (2019). Antitrust Law in Kosovo: Challenges in Following the EU Enforcement Jurisprudence. Journal of European Competition Law & Practice, Oxford University Press, https://doi.org/10.1093/jeclap/lpz069.
• Nazifi, E. and Broka, P. (2016). Grounds for Private Enforcement of Albanian Competition Law. Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies, 9(13). DOI: 10.7172/1689-9024.YARS.2016.9.13.3.
• Nazzini, R. (2011). The Foundation of European Competition Law: The Objective and Principles of Article 102. 1st edt, Oxford University Press.
• Orbach, B. (2013). Foreword: Antitrust’s Pursuit of Purpose. Fordham Law Review, 81(5).
• Posner, R.A. (2001). Antitrust in the New Economy. Antitrust Law Journal, 68(3), 925.
• Sokol, D.D. (2010). Designing Antitrust Agencies for More Effective Outcomes: What Antitrust Can Learn from Restaurant Guides. Loyola University Chicago Law Journal, 41(3), 573.
• Stucke, M.E. (2012). Better Competition Advocacy. St John’s Law Review, 82(3).
• The Assembly of Kosovo. (2016). Committee on Economic Development, Infrastructure, Trade and Industry, Procès-verbal of the meeting.
• The Kosovo Assembly. (2008). Transcript of the Plenary Session of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo (the Library of the Assembly), Point 16 of the Agenda: Consideration of the recommendation of the Committee on Economy, Trade and Industry for Selection of Members of the Competition Commission.
• The Supreme Court of Kosovo. (2016). Ruling in the Dukagjini case, ARJ-UZVP no 50/2015.
• Muris, T.J. (2005). Principles for a Successful Competition Agency. University of Chicago Law Review, 72(1), 165–187.
• Vlahek, A. (2016). Challenges of Private Enforcement of Antitrust in Slovenia. In M. Kovač & A.S. Vandenberghe (eds), Economic Evidence in EU Competition Law. Intersentia-Cambridge – Antwerp – Portland, 387.
• Waller, S.W. (1998). Prosecution by Regulation: The Changing Nature of Antitrust Enforcement. Oregon Law Review, 77, 1383.
• Whish, R., Bailey, D. (2012). Competition Law. 7th edn, Oxford University Press.
• Zhang, A.H. (2018). The Role of Media in Antitrust: Evidence from China. Fordham International Law Journal, 41(2).

Identifiers

DOI

10.7172/1689-9024.YARS.2020.13.22.4

Biblioteka Nauki

2159075