The Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva and the acting Chairman of the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) Alexander Kolyachev agreed to introduce a "fast track" for complaints that are received by the Public Defender and are related to violated consumer rights and unjustified price increases after the introduction of the euro. This was reported to BTA by the Ombudsman's press center.
The reason for the meeting between the two was the increased signals to the Ombudsman about the increase in the price of food, goods and services, as well as public dissatisfaction with unclear commercial practices, lack of transparency in pricing, as well as citizens' concerns that the transition to the euro is being used to artificially increase prices, the statement states.
„The introduction of the euro cannot be an excuse for price pressure on people. Our goal is to process the signals quickly, transparently and with real results“, said the Ombudsman.
“The CPC reacts and will react to every signal with checks and all subsequent actions within the framework of the law against the violators, so that the rights of citizens are protected“, assured the Chairman of the CPC, quoted in the announcement.
Within the framework of the agreed “fast track“, the Ombudsman will send, as before, to the CPC the complaints that require regulatory verification, but the Commission will consider them with a priority deadline and subsequent information about the results. The mechanism will also apply to providers of fast loans, providers of public services, mobile operators, food traders and other products and goods related to the daily expenses of citizens.
The first specific inspection on the topic will be carried out by the CPC in the children's dairy kitchen in Vidin. Velislava Delcheva also contacted the mayor of the municipality, Tsvetan Tsenkov, with a recommendation to check and take the necessary measures.
At a press conference of the Coordination Center for the Euro Mechanism at the Council of Ministers yesterday, the chairman of the CPC indicated that among the most frequent signals they receive in the commission are refusals to return change in euros. Kolyachev assured that checks on signals and complaints continue. With colleagues from the National Revenue Agency, we will be uncompromising in establishing a violation in the return of change, even though there are only days left until the expiration of the dual circulation period of levs and euros, he said.