Not long after adopting the new Law on State Aid, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia appointed the President and four council-members of the Serbian Commission for State Aid Control (“CSAC”).
State aid control in Serbia has been identified as an area that requires significant and priority improvement in EU accession, as the European Commission’s Progress Report for 2019 explicitly noted that: “the control of state aid is weak and it’s granting non-transparent, as the legislation allows for too many exemptions and the control body does not have all needed competences”.
One of the key features in the updated framework has been operational independence and greater resources being made available to CSAC, in order to act as an impartial and active watchman over the grants of public funds.
Mr. Vladimir Antonijević, who was elected acting President of the CSAC last year, was now appointed for a full mandate. The new-old President of the CSAC has previous experience in the area of competition law, having previously worked at the Serbian Competition Commission, as well as being engaged as a legal expert by the Montenegrin Competition Agency on the IPA project.
The four other Council members include Ms. Ljiljana Blagojević, Mr. Marko Vidaković, Ms. Dušica Đorđević, and Mr. Dragan Đurđević. Apart from Mr. Dragan Đurđević, who was now reelected as a Council member, the remaining three members are new to the Council. The term of the Council members and the President of CSAC is five years.
