Communication
The aim of the protection of market competition is primarily to create benefits for consumers and equal conditions for all entrepreneurs on the market, who, acting in accordance with the existing rules and competing on the market with the quality, price and innovation of their products and services, contribute to the overall development of the economy.
Opinion of the Croatian Competition Agency: Local administration of the Town of Dubrovnik regulates the provision of taxi services
The Croatian Competition Agency (CCA) received several reasoned submissions from taxi service providers claiming that the local administration of the Town of Dubrovnik had adopted a decision introducing a new traffic regime and regulating the issuance of licenses for a limited number of taxi vehicles that can operate in the old town. Allegedly, the local administration of the Town of Dubrovnik had leased a number of taxi stands to a limited number of taxi service providers or taxi associations, and thereby supposedly restricted the provision of these services. Related to the matter concerned the CCA requested the explanation and the necessary documentation from the local administration of the Town of Dubrovnik.
After reviewing the provided documentation and the rules in effect, in its opinion of 1 August 2024 the CCA made its recommendations concerning the leasing period for the reserved parking slots and any future public tenders related to the minimum number of vehicles required by bidders to bid for reserved parking locations. The local administration of the Town of Dubrovnik should list justifiable objective criteria, specifically the quantitative requirements regarding the minimum number of vehicles. This is to avoid any arbitrary decisions. The CCA emphasized that the requirements for the provision of taxi services should be comparable among different categories of taxi operators.
Finally, the CCA noted that any further tendering procedure should ensure that the conditions are not discriminatory for any category of taxi operators. The administration of the Town of Dubrovnik must also ensure that any category of taxi operators has the right to provide taxi services in a way that enhances competition in the taxi service market within the Town of Dubrovnik, in line with the objectives of the traffic regime.