The Croatian Competition Agency (CCA) has initiated formal proceedings against multiple companies, including KOPRODUKT TRGOVINA d.o.o. and ELEKTRO MERKUR d.o.o., as part of an investigation into possible anti-competitive behavior in the low-voltage and medium-voltage networks market.

The investigation focuses on allegations that these companies may have engaged in prohibited agreements, specifically concerning geographical market division in Croatia. This involves submitting bids only for designated distribution areas in public procurement processes conducted by HEP-Operator distribucijskog sustava d.o.o., the Distribution System Operator.

The inquiry was prompted by a complaint from Marel d.o.o., a Serbian manufacturer of cable and connecting accessories, which sells its products in Croatia through distributors. Following this complaint, the CCA conducted a preliminary market investigation that provided sufficient grounds for formal proceedings.

To gather evidence, the CCA executed surprise inspections at the premises of KOPRODUKT TRGOVINA d.o.o., COTRA d.o.o., and BRODOMETALURGIJA d.o.o. These inspections were authorized by a warrant from the High Administrative Court of Croatia, allowing the CCA to operate within its legal framework under the Competition Act.

The CCA will determine whether the companies involved have violated competition rules based on the findings from this investigation. It is important to note that the initiation of these proceedings and the inspections do not imply any pre-judgment regarding the outcome of the case.