Siniša Petrović

Enforcement and Effectiveness of Consumer Law in Croatia

Over the past 15 years, since the beginning of the process of accession to the EU, the Republic of Croatia has been gradually developing policy of consumer protection. Consumer protection policy represents today a comprehensive body of measures, tools and activities in different fields of the market aimed at fostering the role and protection of consumers. Consumer protection policy in Croatia comprises of comprehensive legislation which regulates business-to-consumer (B2C) relations and strategic documents which define the main goals and measures of consumer protection policy in the given time framework.

The Enforcement of EU Competition Law by National Courts

Regulation 1/2003 is the legal instrument that has probably brought about the most important changes in the history of the application of EU competition law. It has extensively altered existing procedures for the application of what are now Articles 101 and 102 TFEU. Its importance is indicated by the direct applicability of its rules in Member States by their national competition authorities and national courts. By providing explicitly for the possibility of national courts applying Articles 101 and 102, Regulation 1/2003 has promoted the private enforcement of competition rules. The authors, inter alia, discuss basic rules on cooperation between the European Commission, national competition authorities and national courts pursuant to Regulation 1/2003 and novelties in the Directive on Actions for Damages as regards enforcement of Articles 101 and 102 by national courts. In addition, taking into account the fact that basic procedural rules indispensable for the enforcement of competition rules by national courts are not harmonised, the authors point out limitations on harmonisation in terms of not only normative rules but also legal culture and legal traditions.

Football Club Ownership in the Republic of Croatia: A Model for Supporters’ Inclusion in Football Governance in South-East Europe?

Professional football clubs in the Republic of Croatia operate in two very different legal regimes - civil associations and joint-stock companies. The authors analyse the situation where professional clubs who participate at the same level of competition operate in a different legal regime. The possibility of introducing a new model of football club ownership structure in which a civil association appears as one of the shareholders of a football club, solely or as a majority shareholder, is discussed. The authors conclude that this model of football governance, which has been particularly developed in Germany, could be the optimal model for the Republic of Croatia and could have a positive influence on supporters’ inclusion in football governance in Croatia and other South-Eastern European countries.