„There is no way that the price in the retail chains is fair, given that the official control bodies stated that we are talking about overcharges of the order of 80% to 130%. There is no way that we can talk about fair prices, given that „Eurostat“ announced that dairy products are the most expensive in Bulgaria. There is no way that we can think that the prices are fair, given that the same product, the same brand, the same brand in the same chain in Sofia is at a much higher price than in Vienna, Berlin or Amsterdam“.
This was commented on in „This Sunday“ on bTV Maya Manolova, former ombudsman and MP, leader of "Stand Up, BG".
„That is, it is clear that consumers are being abused, that there is speculative inflating of prices and there is no Bulgarian who currently believes that prices in stores are fair. The same is true for services, the same is true for medicines, the same is true for fuel, if you will, the same is true for household bills. But the biggest problem is undoubtedly with food prices, because these are the things that every Bulgarian family buys every day“, she pointed out.
„Winter is coming and things will become even more serious. Let it not become the winter of our discontent if prices continue to soar. Because the feeling of increasing cost of living and impoverishment is truly widespread, especially after the entry of the euro into Bulgaria.
“The Basket of Care“ was a good idea, but its implementation showed it to people as a hollow measure. In practice, the “Basket of Care“ turned out to be empty. And this is because of the mocking and arrogant attitude of the retail chains towards consumers“, commented Maya Manolova.
“They mocked both the citizens and the government's intentions to regulate prices in this way. Now there is nothing to talk about. The very fact that the basket included, for example, a dairy product instead of yogurt and a spread instead of margarine is indicative enough.
And the numbers, on top of everything. Thus, the retail chains most unceremoniously... One of them tried to advertise with the “Basket with Care“, by announcing these days that, you see, in two months 6 million products were sold from those in the “Basket with Care“. And of these 6 million products, notice - 3 million are sugar“, noted Maya Manolova.
“The rest, most of them, are under 1 euro. That is, 6 million products were sold through the “Basket with Care“, which is 3% of the turnover for two months of this retail chain. That is, in practice we saw that the “Basket with Care“ did not lead to any positive change“, she said.
“Fair value, determining fair value, is the first measure, the first real measure of the state for price control. So far, no previous government has done absolutely nothing, nothing, nothing, to prevent speculation in relation to Bulgarian citizens.
This is the first measure. The state is committed, the methodology was released, I think on August 3, and we can see how the fair price will be determined.
Now, this is not a ceiling, it is not a limited final value of basic food products, but it is a reference value, an indicator of what the price of basic food products should be at the stands in retail chains“, commented Maya Manolova.
„And on the other hand, this is not just another information campaign that, you see, they are selling more expensively, than it should be, because it is provided that in cases where there are significant deviations — that is the expression, from the fair value, inspections will follow, there will be control and after these inspections there will be sanctions. And here whether the fair value will work as a measure to control prices depends entirely on the control authorities“, the former ombudsman also stated.