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 new week starts with rain and snow

On Monday, the weather will continue cloudy in most parts of the country with rain, more significant in the southeastern regions. Light snow will fall in the Pre-Balkans. Precipitation will stop from the southwest and clouds will break. There will be..

published on 12/1/24 5:20 PM

The annual effect of Bulgaria's accession to Schengen by land will amount to BGN 1.63 billion

The financial effect of our country's accession to Schengen by land will amount to BGN 1.63 billion (EUR 833.4 million) per year, according to a study by the Economic Research Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The greatest benefit..

published on 12/1/24 4:56 PM

The Ministry of Transport supports the idea of naming Sofia Airport after Vasil Levski

The Ministry of Transport and Communications supports the idea of naming Sofia Airport after Vasil Levski– the most undisputed figure in Bulgarian history. "I would like to thank the academic community, especially Academician Julian Revalski..

published on 12/1/24 12:53 PM