[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-108943-en":3,"doc-seo-108943-105":31,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":93},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":22,"language":23,"language_code":24,"site_id":25,"html_lang":24,"table_of_contents":26,"faqs":27,"seo_title":28,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":29,"read_time":30},108943,1374391974564,"Clementine","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/14000253aa45c000a9e?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1779874745381141002",8,"Research & Report","Serbia New Growth Agenda - Removing regulatory barriers to competition","Serbia’s “New Growth Agenda” frames how productivity progress depends on reducing regulatory barriers that constrain private-sector activity and competition. It argues that competition improves efficiency through innovation pressure, market-share gains for productive firms, better input prices, and resource allocation toward higher-productivity sectors. Evidence cited from global competitiveness and investor-risk assessments shows weaker perceived competition in Serbia versus comparator countries, linked to vested interests, unfair practices, and discrimination.","Public Disc losure Authorized  \nPub lic Disc losure Authorized  \nSerbia New Growth Agenda: Removing regulatory barriers to competition  \nPage 1 of 29  \nThis paper was prepared by the WBG Markets and Competition Policy Team. The work is part of WB analytics under the Serbia Country Economic Memorandum and IFC advisory under the Serbia Investment Climate Program. The Serbia Investment Climate Program is implemented by the IFC in partnership with the UK Good Governance Fund and the British Embassy in Belgrade.  \nMaciej Drozd and Olga Sipka are the lead authors. Linda Kirigi contributed graphs. The document benefited from comments from Ekaterina Vostroknutova, Georgiana Pop, Lazar Sestovic, Dusko Vasiljevic, Elwyn Davies, Katharina Gassner and Svetlana Vukanovic. Tania Begazo Gomez provided technical guidance and reviewed the paper together with Enrique Blanco Armas. Christine Zhenwei Qiang and Gallina Andronova Vincelette supervised the work.  \nPage 2 of 29  \nTable of Contents  \nI. Introduction .................................................................................................4  \nII. Economy-wide obstacles to competition ......................................................7  \nPublic ownership........................................................................................................................ 9  \nRegulatory process................................................................................................................... 12  \nBarriers in service and network sectors ............................................................................... 14  \nAdministrative burdens on start-ups ................................................................................... 15  \nIII. Obstacles to competition in key sectors...................................................... 16  \nEnergy ................................................................................................................................ 16  \nElectronic communications ................................................................................................. 18  \nTransport.................................................................................................................................. 19  \nProfessional services................................................................................................................ 21  \nRetail ........................................................................................................................................ 23  \nIV. Reform recommendations.......................................................................... 24  \nList of acronyms and abbreviations ......................................................................................................28  \nTable of figures and boxes .................................................................................................................... 29  \nPage 3 of 29  \nI. Introduction  \n1. Serbia needs productivity gains to advance the “New Growth Agenda”. If Serbia wants to accelerate the pace of convergence, it will not only need to mobilize labor and capital, and increase their quality, but also raise productivity (combine factors of production more efficiently). One way of improving productivity is to reduce regulatory barriers faced by the private sector. The World Bank’s Country Economic Memorandum “New Growth Agenda” finds that if Serbia designed a plan to lower barriers to the level of Germany and implemented this plan over 20 years, it could grow one percentage point faster each year. Historically, Serbia has paid significant attention to regulatory reforms that reduce transaction costs for businesses. Looking forward, it can put more emphasis on reforms that foster competition.  \n2. Competition between firms raises productivity. Competition means that firms challenge eachother and by doing so– create new and expand existing markets. If the process is intact, efficient firms enter ma","cbCaivsNWMeVATO5","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaivsNWMeVATO5","pdf",2963740,5,1,29,"English","en",105,"# Introduction\n## Economy-wide obstacles to competition\n## Obstacles to competition in key sectors\n## Reform recommendations\n## List of acronyms and abbreviations\n## Table of figures and boxes","[{\"question\":\"Why does Serbia need to reduce regulatory barriers to competition?\",\"answer\":\"The paper links productivity gains to improving how private firms operate, grow, and enter markets. Reducing regulatory barriers helps remove constraints that limit competition and efficiency.\"},{\"question\":\"How does competition contribute to productivity according to the paper?\",\"answer\":\"Competition raises productivity by forcing firms to innovate, letting productive firms gain market share, enabling firms to access inputs at more competitive prices, and directing resources to the most productive firms and sectors.\"},{\"question\":\"What evidence suggests competition is weaker in Serbia than in regional and comparator countries?\",\"answer\":\"The paper cites perceptions from the World Economic Forum showing less intense competition in Serbian markets. It also cites investor views from the Economist Intelligence Unit associating weak competition with business risks such as vested interests, unfair practices, and discrimination.\"}]","Serbia New Growth Agenda - Removing regulatory barriers to competition | PDF",1784475213,73,{"code":4,"msg":32,"data":33},"ok",{"site_id":25,"language":24,"slug":34,"title":13,"keywords":35,"description":14,"schema_data":36,"social_meta":88,"head_meta":90,"extra_data":92,"updated_unix":29},"serbia-new-growth-agenda-removing-regulatory-barriers-to-competition","",{"@graph":37,"@context":87},[38,55,70],{"@type":39,"itemListElement":40},"BreadcrumbList",[41,45,49,52],{"item":42,"name":43,"@type":44,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":46,"name":47,"@type":44,"position":48},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":50,"name":12,"@type":44,"position":51},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":53,"name":13,"@type":44,"position":54},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/serbia-new-growth-agenda-removing-regulatory-barriers-to-competition/108943/",4,{"url":53,"name":13,"@type":56,"author":57,"headline":13,"publisher":59,"fileFormat":62,"inLanguage":24,"description":14,"dateModified":63,"datePublished":64,"encodingFormat":62,"isAccessibleForFree":65,"interactionStatistic":66},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":58},"Person",{"url":42,"name":60,"@type":61},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-29","2026-07-19",true,{"@type":67,"interactionType":68,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":69},"ViewAction",{"@type":71,"mainEntity":72},"FAQPage",[73,79,83],{"name":74,"@type":75,"acceptedAnswer":76},"Why does Serbia need to reduce regulatory barriers to competition?","Question",{"text":77,"@type":78},"The paper links productivity gains to improving how private firms operate, grow, and enter markets. Reducing regulatory barriers helps remove constraints that limit competition and efficiency.","Answer",{"name":80,"@type":75,"acceptedAnswer":81},"How does competition contribute to productivity according to the paper?",{"text":82,"@type":78},"Competition raises productivity by forcing firms to innovate, letting productive firms gain market share, enabling firms to access inputs at more competitive prices, and directing resources to the most productive firms and sectors.",{"name":84,"@type":75,"acceptedAnswer":85},"What evidence suggests competition is weaker in Serbia than in regional and comparator countries?",{"text":86,"@type":78},"The paper cites perceptions from the World Economic Forum showing less intense competition in Serbian markets. 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