After the entry into force of the Stabilization and Association Agreement, liberalization of trade in foodstuff with the EU and CEFTA countries, followed with broadening of the network of wholesalers and supermarkets which distribute imported agricultural products and foodstuff to Serbian consumers, origin labelling and promotion of domestic products in Serbia becomes an important issue. Using predominantly a comparative law method and qualitative analysis, on the basis of a number of possible options within the framework of national country of origin labelling schemes, the paper argues that the new quality initiative 'Serbian quality' should be enriched with well-designed and coordinated measures promoting Serbia as a country of origin. By providing a legal framework and criteria for qualification whether promotion tools are legitimate or have equivalent effects to quantitative restrictions on food import, the paper aims to stimulate a discussion on the national initiative.

The paper explores the development of the institutional capacity of the Serbian competition authority by observing the evolution of its competencies and assesses the impact of both external and internal drivers on its administrative capacity and enforcement. The analysis highlights the necessity of institution building for efficient competition policy enforcement and tracks the development and progress within the context of negotiations to join the European Union (EU), with special focus on proactive measures based on soft enforcement. The hypotheses of the paper are largely confirmed by the analyzed data, based on which further recommendations are given. Observing the gradual strengthening of institutional capacities of the Serbian competition authority, the key driver of development was the impact of guidance received in the context of EU negotiations and assistance provided through multiple capacity building projects. There is room for improvement, but the achieved progress is respectable.

Private food quality and safety management standards are, as a rule, voluntary standards. However, as it is necessary to verify the competence of certification bodies (those controlling producers and participants in the food supply chain) by the accreditation bodies and the standard owners, this is not a case for self-regulation. A modern regulatory state, which is not an exclusive market regulator, recognizes the importance and role of private standards. In the past two decades, a specific public-private partnership has emerged between the public authorities, the owners of standards and mediators in the certification process. The purpose of this paper is to portray the role of international private food safety standards in the field of risk protection, as well as to draw attention to the basic requirements for effective implementation of those standards.

This article examines how EU State aid conditionality shapes the application of resolution tools foreseen in the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) and explores its implications for accession countries in the context of approximating State aid control and transposing the BRRD. To elucidate the interconnection and mutual conditionality between the bank recovery and resolution regime and State aid control as a form of competition protection, the paper first clarifies the taxonomy of instruments introduced by the BRRD. It outlines their operation within the EU’s soft law on State aid to banks, highlighting both the strengths and deficiencies. These inconsistencies between the two regimes pose particular challenges for EU candidate countries, especially in defining pre-accession conditionalities. The challenges extend beyond the formal transposition of provisions to issues of implementation and effective enforcement. Serbia and Montenegro are examined as case studies: Serbia illustrates partial alignment with the acquis, whereas Montenegro’s approach relies on a general legislative reference to EU law and defers the application of State aid rules in the resolution framework until accession to the EU.