CLS: Commission for Protection of Competition helps destruction of SBB in Serbia

N1

The Center for Local Self-Government, CLS, said on Friday it was "astonished with the Commission for Protection of Competition's decision to approve the restrictive business contract between Telekom and Telenor, adding it was worrying since "everything points out that the Commission is under a strong influence of the executive power, a not an independent institution it is meant to be by the law."

CLS said the approved agreement’s only aim, „according to the interpretation of one of the signatories, is the ‘destruction of SBB,’ as an important player in the telecommunications market“ in Serbia.

The Commission said on Thursday it gave the green light to the Telekom Serbia a.d Belgarde and Telenor d.o.o, Belgarde bussines deal.

„The Council of the Commission for Protection of Competition exempted the agreements from prohibition subject to conditions, concluded by companies Telekom Srbija a.d. Beograd and Telenor d.o.o. Beograd, on the use of optic infrastructure, and imposed measures and deadlines thereof.

Due to the public interest in the case, as well as inaccurate and misleading information presented during the procedure, to inform the public accordingly, the Commission will publish the full version of the decision with expositions not containing provisions applicable to the protection of information once the procedural conditions are met, that is, once it decides on the requests of the companies for data protection (Article 45 of the Law on Protection of Competition), the Commission published on its English website.

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But CLS on Friday said, „it remains a mystery to all but the Commission’s members, how the agreement aiming to destroy a relevant market participant contributes to the protection of competition?“

It added, „Commission also violated the law last year regarding the CLS initiative to examine a potential abuse of the Belgrade Power Plants company, leaving the Center without any answer since.“

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