Joint Venture and Market Competition
Abstract: In modern business of the business entities, on the EU market, as well as on the other national markets, it is joint venture is increasingly used as a form of joining of business entities. For a competition law basic question is an effect on the market competition of this joining of the business entities. The effects made by joint ventures on market competition may be positive, which is the case with the invention, the availability of new technologies, increasing of the efficiency, new products etc., or negative, which is the case with market separation or closing of the market for new participants. In European competition law there is an opinion that there is greater possibility of the negative effects on market competition when real or potential competitors make joint venture. Authority for protection of competition on two basis can evaluate joint venture. The first base is joint venture, which is evaluated as concentration of the business entities, and the second base is joint venture, which is evaluated as an agreement between business entities. This paper shall elaborate both basis, paying special attention on its demarcation, as well as the effects they have on market competition. In addition, the paper shall show and explain the most common modalities of the joint venture agreements, and point out their differences between them.
Keywords: business entities, market, competition, joint venture, concentration, agreement, market effects.
Zajedničko ulaganje (joint venture) i tržišna konkurencija / Joint Venture and Market Competition
Rezime: U savremenom poslovanju privrednih subjekata, kako na tržištu EU, tako i na drugim nacionalnim tržištima, sve se više koristi zajedničko ulaganje, kao oblik udruživanja privrednih subjekata. Za konkurencijsko pravo osnovno pitanje koje se postavlja je efekat koji na tržišnu konkurenciju ima takvo udruživanje privrednih subjekata. Efekti koje proizvode djelovanja zajedničkog ulaganja na tržišnu konkurenciju mogu biti pozitivni, što je slučaj kod inovativnosti, dostupnosti novih tehnologija, povećane efikasnosti, novih proizvoda i sl., ili negativni, što je slučaj kod podjele tržišta ili zatvaranja tržišta za nove tržišne učesnike. U evropskom pravu tržišne konkurencije postoji stav da veća mogućnost nastanka negativnog učinka na tržišnu konkurenciju postoji kada zajedničko ulaganje osnivaju stvarni ili potencijalni tržišni konkurenti. Zajedničko ulaganje može biti predmet ocjene organa za zaštitu konkurencije po dva osnova. Prvi osnov je zajedničkog ulaganja koje se ocjenjuje kao koncentracija privrednih subjekata, a drugi osnov je zajedničko ulaganje koje se ocjenjuje kao sporazum između privrednih subjekata. Ovaj rad baviće se sa oba ova osnova, dajući posebnu pažnju njihovom razgraničenju, kao i efektima koje imaju na tržišnu konkurenciju. Pored toga, rad će prikazati i pojasniti najčešće modalitete sporazuma o zajedničkom ulaganja, te ukazati na njihove razlike.
Ključne riječi: privredni subjekti, tržište, konkurencija, zajedničko ulaganje, koncentracija, sporazum, tržišni efekti.