Horizontal Approach to Network Industries in Croatia

More than two decades ago in the European Union law, competition has started entering economic activities, organised traditionally under the concept of services of general economic interest. Special and exclusive rights have gradually been abolished in important industries like telecommunications, postal services, energy or railways. European Union policy has opted to prioritize efficiency over social issues in those industries by adopting liberalisation agendas. Previous monopolies have undertaken long restructuring processes to meet upcoming competition. However, entering and positioning in the market has not proven to be a short process for new-comers either. Although network industries display differences among themselves, there are common trans-sector issues which allow a horizontal approach. This brings into focus the actual role of different national regulatory and competition authorities in different stages of market regulation and the ways of coordinating their function in multisector patterns