Strengthening Price Monitoring to Protect Consumers

The government has adopted a conclusion on the implementation of the principle of prohibiting unjustified price increases, which obliges the relevant authorities to intensify price controls and mandates that unjustifiably raised prices be reverted to the levels of December 31.

The conclusion obliges all business entities that have raised the prices of goods and services contrary to the Law on the introduction of the euro as the official currency in the Republic of Croatia to revise the retail prices of their goods and services in accordance with the fundamental principles, rules, and laws, so that they are determined to be no higher than the retail prices that were valid on New Year’s Eve, reported the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Davor Filipović.

To monitor these conclusions and to prevent negative effects on consumers, the State Inspectorate, tax and customs administration, Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Ministry of Health, Croatian National Bank, HANFA, HROTE, and the Agency for Coastal and Line Transport are tasked with immediately implementing enhanced supervision of business entities.

The Ministry of Economy is also tasked with intensifying activities that will enable consumers to monitor the prices of goods and services at various sales and service points for complete, timely, and comprehensive consumer information.

The Ministry of Agriculture is tasked with monitoring the price movements of agricultural and food products.

The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance, and other relevant state bodies are tasked with considering the preparation of amendments to relevant regulations and other government acts based on collected data and analyses to better protect consumers.

Mikulić: 31 percent of inspections found violations

Chief State Inspector Andrija Mikulić reported at the government session that in the past two days, 306 inspections related to prices were conducted, and 96 violations were found.

Regarding trade, he stated that preliminary data shows a price increase of three to 19 percent for chocolate, bakery products, beer, butter, sour cream, toilet paper, coffee, and other items. It will be determined whether this is an unjustified price increase.

In service activities, the increase ranges from 10 to 80 percent, and tourist inspectors found 52 violations or price increases of one to ten percent in 151 inspections.

Prime Minister Plenković announced a strong government intervention for those who have unjustifiably raised prices in the process of converting kuna to euro, emphasizing that price increases due to the introduction of the euro are completely unjustified. These measures will also include subsidies and taxes, he said.

Some companies have exploited the conversion to unjustifiably raise prices, for which there is no reason or justification, as it is done without charge, said Plenković.

The state will not watch this without reaction, and all those who think they can cast a shadow or harm the strategic success of the state, government, society, and all of us with their irresponsible business policies will not succeed,” said Plenković.

He announced that all services will go into the field to ‘correct all that irresponsible individuals are doing to us, without any reason’.

– Raising prices, casting a shadow on the introduction of the euro, and contributing to inflation is an unfair practice and it will not go on – said Plenković.