2m EUR for stronger competition - EAR approved funds for another Serbian project

- European Union has approved 2m EUR for strengthening of competition in Serbian economy sector between 2008 and 2010 - said the Head of that project from European Agency for Reconstruction, Andrej Plahutnik.

- That is the largest project in field of competition in Serbia ever - it was announced at the press conference organized by the Commission for Protection of Competition. According to the words of Plahutnik, that project should contribute to strengthening of institutional capacity of the Commission for Protection of Competition, strengthening of commission's independence from other institutions and bringing of regulations on competition in accord with European regulations, as well as to the increase of awareness of the significance of competition.

President of the Commission, Dijana Marković-Bajalović, said that, during two years of existence, the Commission started debate about competition in public, it noticed irregularities in laws and political and economic environment and it managed to cause the changes in Law on protection of competition. According to her words, the Commission has insufficient personnel and it also lacks opportunity to have efficient influence on the decision making.

The Head of the delegation of European Union to Serbia, Žozep Ljoveras, said that stronger competition in Serbian economy would lead to larger number of products, enhancement of their quality, lowering of prices, as well as improvement of competitiveness of Serbian economy.

- That is the real purpose and aim of European integrations - said Ljoveras.