July 2026 – The first half of 2026 brought two important competition-related developments in Serbia and Montenegro. In Serbia, a new unfair trading practices regime started to apply to buyer-supplier relationships in strategically important supply chains, giving the Serbian Competition Authority a new enforcement role beyond traditional antitrust and merger control. In Montenegro, the new Competition Act has modernised the merger control, restrictive agreements, and enforcement framework, bringing it closer to EU competition law standards.
Serbia: Unfair trading practices in selected supply chains
The Law on Trading Practices for Certain Types of Products (the “UTPL”) entered into force on 1 May 2026. The UTPL applies to commercial relations between suppliers and buyers engaged in trade within the territory of the Republic of Serbia. It is not aimed at consumer-facing relationships, but at professional trading relationships in selected supply chains.
