site.btaTrade Unions and Consumer Protection Commission Discuss Joint Actions to Inform Consumers about Introduction of Euro

The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) discussed joint coordinated actions to inform consumers about the changes and challenges resulting from the introduction of the euro. This took place at a meeting between CITUB President Plamen Dimitrov, and CPC Chair Maria Filipova, CITUB said on its website.

The aim is to protect citizens through joint efforts from unjustified increases in the price of food and especially vital goods from the small consumer basket, the CITUB noted. Dimitrov explained that the monitoring of prices and the necessary means of subsistence, which has been carried out for over 30 years by the Institute for Social and Trade Union Research, Education and Training (ISTURET), will be supplemented over the next 12 months with monthly monitoring of goods from the small consumer basket, adding water, coffee, banitsa, and lemons.

Filipova said that the CPC supports the proposal of the CITUB to also place the pre-market price on the labels of goods for the purpose of greater transparency. "Back in February, we presented a similar idea aimed at retailers indicating the price at which they purchased the goods from the supplier, as a reference for the consumer," she commented, quoted by the CITUB.

The Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions (CITUB) is pushing for a legislative change in the way retailers announce the prices of goods, Dimitrov, told journalists a few days ago. The idea is that for every item in the store, in addition to the seller's price, the manufacturer/importer's price should also be visible, he explained.