Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Competition watchdog scratches affordable products initiative

Photo: BGNES

The Commission on Protection of Competition has cancelled the Ministry of Economy’s initiative “Available to you” which aimed to lower the prices of around 50 products from the small consumer basket at chain stores.

The initiative was supposed to have been launched on 1 November. According to the regulator, the initiative will result in restricting price competition among traders and is a violation of the constitutional principles of free economic initiative. The Commission is recommending “providing individual food packages and a warm lunch” as a way of coping with the increase in prices.

“The initiative is good, it is European and does not distort competition in any way, but it is very much delayed – by one year,” Assoc. Prof. Ognyan Boyukliev from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences’ Economic Research Institute commented for the BNR. “It is a good thing there will be no price caps. Price caps were put in place in Hungary that have already been done away with because they led to shortages,” Assoc. Prof. Ognyan Boyukliev said.

The Ministry of Economy said that they would not give up the initiative aimed at achieving better prices for consumers. "We have created a basis for competition between the various participants in the initiative for these 50 essential products," Minister of Economy Bogdan Bogdanov said in a televised interview. According to him, talks on the topic between the ministry and the Commission for the Protection of Competition are forthcoming.




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The Constitutional Court admits all five requests for the annulment of the Parliamentary elections

The Constitutional Court has admitted all five requests for the partial or complete annulment of the elections for the 51st National Assembly, submitted by We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB), Vazrazhdane, There is Such a People (ITN),..

published on 11/26/24 5:46 PM

New parking lots with charging stations for electric vehicles open at Sofia Airport

New parking lots with over 1,000 parking spaces, including special areas for people with limited mobility and electric vehicle charging stations, were opened at Sofia Airport today.  The parking lots are divided into short-term and..

published on 11/26/24 3:30 PM

The European Public Prosecutor's Office has charged a Bulgarian citizen with attempted fraud with Chinese agricultural machinery

A Bulgarian businessman has been charged by the European Public Prosecutor's Office with attempted fraud with Chinese agricultural machinery. He tried to present the machinery as Bulgarian-made. A lawsuit has been filed in the Sofia..

published on 11/26/24 2:13 PM