Parking prices at the Airport Rijeka terminal do not contravene with competition rules

In its reply to a received query the Croatian Competition Agency (CCA) stated that the prices for the use of the parking space and the short-stay airport parking (pick-up & drop-off) at Rijeka Airport have been set by Rijeka Airport who owns the land and who defines the prices concerned pursuant to the powers granted to it in line with separate laws.

At the same time, following the investigation of the provisions regulating the area concerned, such as the relevant Ordinance, Pricelist, Decision on pursuing economic activities at Rijeka Airport, the CCA concluded that there have been no indices that so regulated prices would be discriminating or in any other way anticompetitive. The provisions consulted by the CCA revealed that they apply equally to all participants under equal conditions and that there have been no indices that the rules within would favour any particular taxi operator or other operator.

In other words, in this particular case, the CCA stated that competition rules do not apply. Namely, in the case of Zračna luka Rijeka the rules regulate the rights and obligations of Zračna luka Rijeka as a company managing Rijeka Airport as a service of general economic interest where a separate law – the Airports’ Law – regulates the scrutiny regarding the proper application the provisions defining land services. Consequently, in the view of the CCA, Zračna luka Rijeka adopted the rules at issue in line with the powers granted to it by a separate law on air ports that defines the airport concerned as a public good.

Given the fact that the application of the rules regulating the area concerned falls outside the CCA’s jurisdiction its reply was also communicated to the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency.