site.btaMRF-New Beginning: Government Must Act Urgently to Curb Rising Food Prices

The delay or postponement in addressing the rising prices of essential food products is unacceptable, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF)-New Beginning press service said here on Monday.

"Statements from the Prime Minister [Rosen Zhelyazkov] Ministers involved in the issue have indicated that measures to control the increasing prices of essential food items could be postponed for more than several weeks or even months," the statement said.

It is questionable, the press service noted, that the executive branch's initial actions focus on legislative initiatives and calls for changes in the regulator. Legislative measures, which primarily fall within the National Assembly’s responsibilities, have already been introduced, with two bills submitted—one of them by MRF-New Beginning.

Regulators are already in place, and regardless of whether their terms have expired, there is no justification for them not being required to fulfil their duties, the statement continued.

The Commission for Protection of Competition, with the support of the National Revenue Agency and Customs, has the capacity to implement measures to curb rising prices of essential food products, prevent unfair trade practices, and address speculation. Similar models have been successfully applied in several European countries, including France and Greece. The French approach, in particular, involved close cooperation with major retail chains.

A similar strategy should be adopted in Bulgaria, the press service emphasized, pointing to media reports and social media discussions highlighting significant price disparities between retail chains in Bulgaria and other European countries, where identical products are often cheaper. This, it warned, is fuelling public discontent and increasing tensions.

The government must take immediate action to halt this dangerous trend, which is causing significant social tension, it added.