Ten Years in the European Union – Selected Remarks Related To the Harmonisation of Slovak Competition Law with EU Competition Law

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the application of competition law in the Slovak Republic since it became a member of the European Union 10 years ago. Special emphasis is placed on selected problems and questions which arose in the application of European competition rules and the need for an adjustment of Slovak competition legislation to EU requirements. The paper presents the relevant amendments in the Slovak Competition Act and analyses in detail their background. Slovak competition law has undergone many changes in the past 10 years, not always without problems. The aim of this paper is to identify the most important of those difficulties and explain why they have occurred. The correct application of national and EU competition rules by Slovak courts has proven to be one of the biggest challenge here, ultimately even causing the European Commission to intervene as amicus curiae. The actions taken by the European Commission in relation to competition matters within the Slovak Republic, and its resulting recommendations, will also be considered. The paper will outline how Slovak competition law has been step-by-step increasing its harmonisation with EU competition law over the last 10 years. Indeed, it is now possible to claim that Slovak competition legislation is fully harmonised with the rules of the European Union. The paper will thus mainly focus on those elements of Slovak law which can give a clear picture of the state of convergence of both legal systems. Nevertheless, the end of the road has not yet been reached. Further harmonisation of selected current topics within Slovak competition law will need to be assessed also. It will also be necessary to analyse which direction should Slovak competition law take in the future with regard to current EU trends. These issues include the need to find a balance between the protection of business secrets and the right of procedural parties to due process, especially in connection with the protection of leniency documents.