COMPETITION & ANTITRUST

Since the establishment of the antitrust authority in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2005, the Competition & Antitrust Department of Marić & Co advises clients from a number of industries operating domestically and internationally in the fields of competition and antitrust law, representing them before this authority. Our law firm was a pioneer in the practice of local competition law and submitted the very first merger filling in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina representing UniCredit bank and then HVB bank. From that time forward, there is no merger or acquisition for which our firm did not get the clearance before the local antitrust authority. We have also initiated and won a unique administrative dispute against the decision of the Competition Council before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our presence and reputation in the competition/antitrust market enabled us to convince the Competition Council to change its standpoints and decisions. The process of shaping better solutions in competition/antitrust area in Bosnia and Herzegovina's market is still ongoing and we can freely say that we are actively engaged in this process.
Our group of highly specialized partners and associates regularly advises and represents clients in relation to merger applications filed with national authorities, particularly in connection to cross-border transactions (M&A, joint ventures), and is able to quickly and efficiently perform merger control filings. This is of great value to clients, particularly in time-critical transactions. Additionally, we are recognized for successful representation of clients in competition disputes before the antitrust authority and courts in cases involving proceedings for abuse of market power and conclusion of prohibited agreements that restrict or distort local market competition. Another speciality of our team is vertical distribution in the car industry, pharmaceuticals and distribution networks in general, as well as organisation of „Dawn Raid“ seminars and preparation of procedures on surprise onsite inspections of the Competition Council. Such inspections are a novelty in the local competition market, but can be expected more and more in the near future.