EU Competition Law in the Aftermath of Directive 2014/14 and Its Implementation in the Republic of Croatia

The Directive on certain rules governing actions for damages under national law for infringements of Competition Law provisions of the Member States is the first Directive enacted in the field of Competition Law private enforcement. The Directive was passed on 26 November 2014, while the Member States were required to enforce laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with the Directive by 27 December 2016. Although private enforcement is distinguished from public enforcement, they interact in many ways. The perception is however that private enforcement of Competition Law is underdeveloped, uncertain and ineffective. The purpose of this chapter is to provide insight into the Croatian rules on the damages claims, especially in light of the new Croatian Act on Actions for Damages for Infringements of Competition Law. The Act contains both substantive and procedural rules governing actions for damages for infringements of the Competition Law provisions. The chapter analyses the new rules on the damages actions and outlines the main provisions of the Act in juxtaposition to the Directive. Special emphasis is put on the substantive and procedural novelties that diverge from the present regulation.