Competition Law in Macedonia in 2011–2012: New Perspectives and New Challenges

Abstract

Keeping in mind that competition policy is of key importance for the European Union, the Republic of Macedonia (hereafter, R.M.) has taken it upon itself to introduce and adopt a domestic competition law regime in the framework of its EU accession process. Macedonian Constitution guarantees the freedom of trade and business as well as security and equal protection of the legal position of different entities in the market1. From a historical perspective, it should be noted that the R.M. was the first country in the Western Balkan region to sign the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union in April 2001, which entered into force in 2004. In 2005, the European Council granted Macedonia the status of an EU ‘candidate country’. This status provides for a competition regime to be applied in the trade relations between the European Union and the R.M. Significant changes were made to Macedonian antitrust legislation, which was in force since January 2005, by way of the new Law on the Protection of Competition of 2010 (hereafter, LPC). These recent legislative reforms introduced relevant changes to the institutional structure of Macedonia’s competition protection system at the same time. The purpose of the LPC is to ensure free competition in the domestic market in order to stimulate economic efficiency and consumer’s welfare.

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