Zagreb, February 17, 2026 — The High Administrative Court of the Republic of Croatia has dismissed an appeal by the Croatian Hunting Federation (HLS) and upheld a 2024 decision of the competition agency (AZTN) finding abuse of dominance through predatory pricing.
In its ruling, the court confirmed AZTN’s December 2024 decision concluding that HLS infringed national competition law between January 1, 2022, and March 31, 2024, on the market for hunter training services in Croatia. The court also rejected HLS’s claim for reimbursement of legal costs.
AZTN found that HLS charged a fee of HRK 400 excluding VAT, or HRK 500 including VAT, for hunter training — a price below the cost of providing the service. According to the agency, HLS cross-subsidized the training activity using profits from markets where it operates under a statutory monopoly, with the aim of excluding competitors and strengthening its market position.
The conduct was deemed an abuse of a dominant position under Article 13(1) of the Competition Act.
In addition to imposing a fine of EUR 89,935.20 (approximately $106,034), AZTN prohibited the continuation of the infringing conduct and ordered HLS to introduce separate accounting between its monopoly activities and the competitive hunter training market. The federation was also required to implement a transparent transfer pricing system with regional hunting associations and other members involved in delivering the training program, within four months of notification, subject to potential daily penalty payments for non-compliance.
The court held that AZTN had correctly established the facts, properly assessed the evidence, and applied both domestic and EU competition law criteria. The court agreed that the pricing was below cost and capable of excluding equally efficient competitors.
With the ruling, AZTN’s decision has become final.
