The year we are leaving behind has been one of the most challenging years for all of us due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, during this year, we at the Kosovo Competition Authority have reason to be proud of the work and successes achieved.
In fact, if I had to summarize all the work done in a few words, I would say that this has been the year of major cases handled by the KCA and of significant progress in completing competition legislation based on the most up-to-date standards of the European Union.
In particular, the decision in the case known as the "Oil Case" - a decision which has imposed administrative fines of over 4 million euros on oil companies that have violated the Law on Protection of Competition - has shown that the Competition Authority enjoys the necessary professional capacity to handle quite complex cases.
We have already completed the drafting of the new Law on Protection of Competition. This draft law - which was drafted with the support of internationally experienced experts - guarantees wider competencies and responsibilities to the AKM. The law but also the AKM Strategy for the years 2020-2023, approved last year, constitute an excellent basis for our work for the coming years.
During this year we have paid attention to advocacy for competition policies, signing several memoranda of cooperation with various institutions, meeting representatives of various business sectors and other similar activities. Significant focus has also been placed on further staff training, with a significant number of trainings conducted with proven international and local experts in the field of competition. Of course, there is always room to do more. But, the year we are leaving behind encourages me to believe that even during 2021 we will be on top of the task to provide a market with equal opportunities for all operators, as a guarantor of comprehensive economic benefits, as well as to increase further our capacities.
Valon Prestreshi
President of the Kosovo Competition Authority