The Budget Committee urgently adopted changes to the Euro Law, which increase the sanctions for disloyal traders, increase the powers of the state and control bodies to intervene directly in the market, BNT reported.
According to the opposition, the changes were introduced at the last minute, without public discussion and without an opinion from the industry organizations.
Part of the changes to the Euro Law provide for the same font on labels for dual labeling, which will begin on August 8 this year and will continue until the end of next year. Traders are obliged to provide full access to sites and company information during inspections by the National Revenue Agency and the Civil Code; if they refuse, the fines start at 10 thousand and can reach 200 thousand.
Large traders with a turnover of over 10 million leva will have to publish online the prices of basic goods from the consumer basket every week. If they do not do so, they will be sanctioned between 10 thousand and 100 thousand. During the period of double labeling, traders are not allowed to increase prices without economic justification.
Tension in the budget committee was caused by the text giving the Council of Ministers the authority to intervene if it deems that certain prices have been raised unlawfully.
The PP-DB accused the ruling party of giving the cabinet unlimited powers in the business environment.
Martin Dimitrov - PP-DB: "Such broad authority. This is administrative arbitrariness. This is how we are heading towards a dictatorship, Mr. Metodiev. Hey, with such a text that gives the cabinet the right to do whatever it wants. It practically repeals many other related laws".
Deputy Finance Minister Metodi Metodiev explained that only in this way will any attempt to unjustifiably raise prices be nipped in the bud.
Metodi Metodiev, Deputy Minister of Finance: "Naturally, we cannot currently provide information about the different types of options in which way the Council of Ministers would react to different types of cases that could occur, but what we actually want to prevent is what happened in Croatia. We simply do not want, as a government and executive branch, to be on the verge of a few weeks after January 1st and suddenly, due to unfair trade practices, the Council of Ministers suddenly taking such a painful and bad decision, for example, to return prices, as they did in Croatia. We want to avoid this and that is why we are doing it with this preventive text.
Business demanded that parliament have the last word.
Stanislav Popdonchev-BIA: "Shouldn't the text be edited to say that, upon a proposal from the Council of Ministers, the National Assembly takes such decisions on such measures. Indeed, the people's representation should have the final say, in our opinion, when measures are taken, when they suddenly enter the market or such measures can be taken, without prior public discussion, without informing the business and other affected parties."
MECH, "Velichye" and "Vazrazhdane" demanded that the bill be withdrawn. The rulers did not agree.
Maria Ilieva - "Velichye": "Since March, this whole rush to pass as many laws as possible in the shortest possible time has led to the adoption of laws that those who are supposed to implement them are not at all aware of".
Dimo Drenchev - "Vazrazhdane": "Undoubtedly, the key thing in this bill is that it is actually in the direction of abolishing the market economy and moving towards a planned one. It will bog down the government".
Krassimir Manov - MECH: "You, on orders from outside, set out to bring the country into the euro. Everything you are doing here shows that you are not ready. The logical thing to do is to withdraw this bill, because this is living Trotskyism. You are throwing the market economy in the trash can."
Yordan Tsonev - "DPS-New Beginning": "What should we not be ready for and what should we withdraw?! We will not withdraw anything! The best thing that has happened to Bulgaria in the last 30 years is the introduction of the euro. This is a consistent policy and we will complete it. Thank God, we no longer have obstacles".
With 11 votes "for" and 9 "against" the bill was adopted.
Delyan Dobrev - Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee: "Today we adopted changes to the Euro Law, with which we guarantee that there will be no inflation upon adoption, if colleagues believe that the National Assembly should dissolve and consumers should not be protected, this is their right. We don't think so".
Tomorrow the bill enters the chamber for first reading.