site.btaCommission for Consumer Protection, NSI Clash over Retail Price Platform ahead of Euro Changeover

The Commission for Consumer Protection (CCP) and the National Statistical Institute (NSI) Tuesday clashed over the role of the latter in the launch of a platform where consumers can monitor retail prices ahead of the adoption of the euro on January 1, 2026. CCP said that it is ready with the platform but is awaiting approval from NSI to begin publishing daily prices of goods from the large consumer basket. NSI put out an open letter where it denied having any role in the launch of a platform.

The launch of such a platform is called for by the Introduction of the Euro in the Republic of Bulgaria Act. 

CCP says that to comply with the law, it has developed detailed guidelines for traders, outlining what price information and in what format they must submit for publication on the portal. "An integral part of the guidelines is the list of goods from the so-called large consumer basket, which includes basic food and non-food items, beverages, and medicines whose prices must be published. Since the list includes goods monitored by NSI, NSI's approval is a key condition for the portal’s launch," CCP explained.

NSI, however, has put out a statement refusing to do that, citing violation of EU regulations. This, according to CCP, does not allow distributing the guidelines and delays the start of the price portal.

Once the coordination procedure is finalized, the guidelines and the list will be sent to businesses, and traders will be required to start submitting the price data that CCP will publish on the portal kolkostruva.bg.

In the open letter, NSI denied having any role in the launch of the platform. "First and foremost, CCP does not require approval from NSI in order to publish daily retail prices of goods," NSI said in the letter. It cited the Introduction of the Euro in the Republic of Bulgaria Act, which says the prices of goods from the large consumer basket must be published by retailers on their websites and sent to CCP for inclusion in the price portal. The said law does not mention a role for NSI in the launch or operation of the portal.

The national plan for the euro changeover, however, says that "a communications working group with the coordination council for the preparation for Bulgaria's eurozone entry, in cooperation with NSI and CCP, will publish monthly data on price trends for key categories of goods and services on the euro website". 

NSI goes on to say in the open letter: "Since the end of 2024, NSI has consistently expressed its willingness to provide expert assistance, consultations, and methodological support within the scope of its authority. (...) NSI has repeatedly recommended that CCP use the official consumer basket, which has been discussed at multiple expert meetings and is publicly available on the Institute's website. The decision whether to use the entire basket or to select specific groups and categories of goods falls within the competence of CCP."