In February 2013 the Competition Authority published the results of its sector analysis of the petroleum derivatives markets in Serbia in 2011. The analysis, carried out between April and October 2012, considers the state of competition in the import, processing, wholesale and retail markets of petroleum and petroleum derivative products.1

Due to the petroleum market's significance to the economy, the Competition Authority conducts annual sector analyses for the preceding year. The 2012 analysis relies on the 2011 analysis, which pertains to the period between 2008 and 2010 and identified a number of issues in the petroleum derivatives markets. Thus, the authority continued the analysis and focused on the 11 most important market participants:

  • the incumbent Naftna Industrija Srbije, the only fully vertically integrated market participant; and
  • 10 other companies active in wholesale and/or the retail of petroleum derivatives markets in Serbia.

The analysis concerns the production, import, export, storage, trade, wholesale and retail of petroleum and petroleum derivatives, as well as various price trend analyses.

The report provides for a number of conclusions and recommendations. The Competition Authority concluded that there are signs of stronger price competition than in the previous three-year period under consideration, not least because of liberalisation in certain areas. At the same time, the authority recommended that the government create a comprehensive and up-to-date statistical database, which would allow the authority to monitor the state of competition on the petroleum and petroleum derivatives markets as there are currently no such records and all data must be gathered by the authority from market participants.

Footnote

1. See www.kzk.org.rs.

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