The Serbian 2009 Protection of Competition Act (as amended in 2013) (the Act) provides for rather low merger control thresholds, compared both to EU law and countries in the region. Thresholds set this low can (and usually do) result in excessive merger control which eventually brings more harm than good to market competition. In order to put an end to this, a change in decisional practice and/or legislative change in regards to this important aspect of merger control is required. The Act provides for rather low merger control thresholds, compared both to EU law and countries in the region. Namely, […]
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The new EU data protection framework, set to come into force on May 24, 2018 in the form of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is directly binding in all Member States, however its scope goes beyond the boundaries of the EU – affecting foreign companies that deal with personal data of EU citizens. National Data Protection authorities of EU member states already have certain powers over foreign enterprises, as seen in the landmark Costeja case (C‑131/12) where Google Inc., an American company, was forced to protect a Spanish national’s right to the respect of his private life. The GDPR […]
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In the last 10 days of May 2017, the Commission for Protection of Competition of the Republic of Serbia (hereinafter: the Commission) has decided to roll up its sleeves and put a number of companies suspected of committing competition violations on its conveyor belt. Unusually high number of unannounced inspections – conducted at the premises of B2M d.o.o., Grafo Trade d.o.o., Trgodunav d.o.o., Master Clean Express d.o.o., AD HI Panonija and Frikom d.o.o. – begs a question, why now? By way of comparison, the Commission has used its powers to carry out dawn raids on business premises only six times […]
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During the first quarter of 2017, the Serbian Commission for Protection of Competition of the Republic of Serbia handed down a number of decisions in different areas of competition protection and recognized the necessity of conducting analyses of vital sectors such as telecoms, oil products and oil-derivatives: Restrictive agreements. The Commission decided to investigate a close collaboration between two large players on the oil products market in Serbia. On March 13, 2017, the Commission fined two direct competitors – Victoriaoil and Vital – for entering into a mutual cooperation agreement under which Vital agreed to outsource production and packaging of […]
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Over 160 Esteemed Guests Gathered in Belgrade to Mingle, Sightsee and Discuss Food Law Gecić Law is proud to announce the completion of one of the most prestigious gatherings of legal professionals in Belgrade in recent history, bringing together high-profile individuals and young leaders in politics, business and innovation. Coordinated with the Harvard Law School Association of Europe (HLSAE), the 2017 reunion in Belgrade coincided with the Bicentennial Celebration of Harvard Law School (HLS) and took place over four days, from May 25 through May 28, 2017. The event included the myriad of activities showcasing Belgrade as one of Europe’s best-kept […]
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On 11 May 2017, Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Mr. Maciej Szpunar, issued a landmark opinion on legal qualification of Uber, the US ride hailing app, claiming that, from the perspective of the EU law, Uber should be characterized and treated as a transport company rather than as a mere information technology provider. The question that was posed to the EU highest court and that, according to Advocate General, needs to be assessed on a rather technical level, deals with Uber’s standing within the EU regulatory framework. Although non-binding, the opinion given by the […]
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Gecić Law is proud to sponsor this year’s annual job fair organized by Belgrade’s group of the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA) at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Law. This year’s event “Lawyers at Work” with the theme “Choose Your Career” will be held from May 9th until May 11th, 2017. Please feel free to visit our booth from 11:00-15:00 each day and bring your questions and CVs. Additionally, Bogdan Gecić, partner at Gecić Law will be discussing his professional experience at the closing session along with other panelists. This session focusing on law profession and career will be […]
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On April 27, 2017, Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”), Ms. Juliane Kokott, issued an opinion stating that not every creation of joint ventures ought to be under control of the European authorities: only formation of those joint ventures which are to be entirely autonomous, full-function entities should be subject to the official scrutiny. As per words of the opinion’s respected author, said issue, although technical in essence, holds a “practical significance” for national and European watchdogs on the one hand, and market undertakings, on the other, given that it tackles the matter of interpretation […]
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Businesses beware – imposing fines of up to 10% of the company’s Serbia-originated annual income in respect to enforcing Data Protection compliance will be one of the measures available to the Commissioner1 as of June 1, 2017, when the new Administrative Procedure Act is set to come into force. The changes to the Administrative Enforcement Procedure are going to allow this Data Protection Authority to enforce its decisions by fining companies in an amount considerably higher than the maximum enforcement-related fine of RSD 200,000.00 (approx. EUR 1,600.00) allowed by the current statute. This means that all companies will, if ordered […]
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MARKET DISRUPTOR – THE YOUNGEST LAW FIRM TO ACHIEVE A TIER 1 RANKING We are proud to announce The Legal 500 EMEA 2017 annual rankings of the premier law firms in Serbia are published and Gecić Law was awarded the coveted ‘Top Tier’ status, granted to firms that achieved Tier 1 ranking in a particular practice. The firm ranked Tier 1 in the field of Competition Law and the firm’s Commercial, Corporate and M&A practice was ranked Tier 2. These rankings represent an unprecedented achievement, especially given the fact that we are the youngest law firm in Serbia to receive a […]
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