“We are living in the moment of the biggest inflation cycle in the world, since the time of the Second World War”, said the Minister of Development and Investment ‘Adonis Georgiadis, who, speaking earlier in the Parliament, said that “the fines that have been imposed for notoriety, only in the last six months, it is more than the total fines imposed by the Ministry of Commerce, since 1974 “.
“Of course, what people are seeing is that inflation is rising. What the consumer cares about is that they are paying higher prices for the same product. But the more expensive prices people are paying, and unfortunately that is one of the biggest problems in the world today. “Are they due to the poor control of the state? Is it due to the poor control of DIMEA? Or is it due to objective external factors? Did the Greek Ministry of Development lead to the change of the euro and dollar exchange rate and the increase of brent oil?” noted that especially for fuel, controls are ongoing.
“And in the islands, where we see the prices have gone away, we have sent special ladders of DIMEA, for several days now to see why some gas stations sell at 2.50 and others sell at 2.25”, said Mr. Georgiadis who However, he added: “I also intend to go to some gas stations myself to see what is really happening. But do not be fooled. If international oil prices rise and the euro falls, the price of fuel at gas stations will rise, because the price is rising of the refinery, because the price of the raw material goes up “.
During his speech, Adonis Georgiadis also commented on Efi Ahtsioglou’s public comment on the course of inflation and accuracy.
“Is Mitsotaki accurate in the US? The inflation record in Belgium, Mitsotaki is accurate? In Germany, inflation record from World War II, is Mitsotaki accurate? We will not get along like this. We live in the moment of the biggest inflation cycle in the world, “World War II,” he said, adding that “there is no real way to block imported inflation when you have a free economy linked to the other, which has huge imports,” and “there is no weapon, to prevent it from coming.” imported inflation in an open economy “. For this record of inflation, all the countries of the world record, one after the other, without any exception, said Mr. Georgiadis and commented sharply: “Mitsotakis is to blame for everything. For the planet”.
“What we have been experiencing since February 24, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is probably the biggest historical event since World War II. The outcome is unknown at this time. I wish the region normalization as soon as possible. It ‘s a huge event that is changing the balance of power in Europe, on the planet, causing millions of refugees, creating insecurity, increasing defense spending, raising, for the first time, concern even about nuclear war. “And in this incredibly huge historical event, the opinion of the opposition is that Mitsotakis is to blame,” said Mr. Georgiadis.
The minister also referred to the fight against by-trade. “Today, have you not noticed a big difference, in terms of the dimensions of the side trade, on the roads, compared to 2019, when I took over the political responsibility of the Ministry of Development and Trade? Have not you noticed? “, said Adonis Georgiadis, noting that public reports have already been made by almost all of the country’s commercial associations, which thank the ministry,” because finally, for the first time in decades, the side trade is under control ” .
Consumer protection bill
The Production and Trade Committee of the Parliament has started the elaboration of the bill “Adaptation of the Greek legislation to the Directive (EU) 2019/2161 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 amending Directive 93/13 / EEC of the Council and of the Directives 98/6 / EC, 2005/29 / EC and 2011/83 / EU of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning better enforcement and modernization of Union rules on consumer protection and other provisions “.
The proposed provisions are intended to fill the gaps in consumer protection legislation identified by an investigation by the European Commission, said Mr. Georgiadis, adding that the existing provisions regarding the indication of prices and the changes brought by the bill are being amended. with regard to informing consumers about the existence of a reduced price, in order to deal with cases where a trader uses artificially inflated prices as reference prices.
The passing and implementation of the draft law will have a significant impact on the daily lives of citizens and in particular on online transactions, he said. ND rapporteur Vassilis Vassiliadis and underlined that the promoted provisions extend the rights of consumers concerning natural goods and services to new fields, such as digital services, electronic goods and digital content.
“The plan ensures that the relationship between businesses and consumers is fair and transparent,” said the ND MP, emphasizing in particular the strengthening of consumer protection from misleading practices in the event of offers or discounts, as it must be made known how a market emerged. , to provide the full details of the supplier, as well as whether it is a professional trader or an individual. He also emphatically referred to the provision that the Minister of Development and Investment may issue a Code of Conduct, for the protection of minor consumers of electronic games and digital applications. “This is an ever-growing market, and access for minors is becoming easier,” he said, stressing the importance of rules.
THE SYRIZA rapporteur Haris Mamoulakis, pointed out that the bill that comes in the middle of the worst inflation crisis of the last 25 years, can be understood, in the context of the EU effort to shield and regulate the internal market of retail, in the shadow of the rapid growth of e-commerce which was triggered during the years of the pandemic and with measures to restrict economic life. Especially for the economic situation, he said that the current inflation is a result of the deliberate inaction of the government and not only a result of the external pressures of the economy. However, he said that in principle, most of the provisions of the bill are moving in a positive direction, trying to deal with unfair commercial practices, such as false quotes, misleading consumers in cases of discounts and expanding transparency in cases where platforms offer mediation services. . At the same time, however, he expressed concern about the attempt to “institutionally shield electricity companies and their commercial practices, at a time when courts are flooded with cases related to adjustment clauses”. He also pointed out that there are no provisions to support small and medium-sized enterprises.
THE special speaker of PASOK Movement for Change Apostolos Panas, stated that the directions of legislative intervention are considered positive but are delayed, as the consumer price index is in double digits, for the first time after 28 years, reaching 10.2% and while no institutional tool has been used to ensure healthy competition in the market and while the government is reducing the VAT and VAT on basic goods. The MP, who assessed that “the difficulties are ahead”, noted that the revised stability program submitted by the Ministry of Finance predicts that inflation will reach 5.6%. “The government’s firm view that inflation is a natural phenomenon that will fade away on its own must end,” said Mr Panas, who called on the government to reconsider its views and consider the amendment on the retail ceiling. energy price.
THE Special spokesman for the KKE Manolis Syntyhakis, noted that this Directive seeks to create the impression that the market economy system, which has as its God the competitiveness and profitability of capital, can at the same time protect the consumer. “In fact, the government is finding the opportunity, seeking to alleviate dissatisfaction with the unacceptable phenomena we live in, which are inherent in capitalism, without consumer protection and not of the consumer in general, but of popular households. The provision in the Directive provides for certain minimum rights. “for consumers and the introduction of some obligations of business groups in fact ends up being a” fig leaf “”, said Manolis Syntyhakis.
“This is another pointless bill that is being tabled at a time when Greece is facing huge problems. Much of it is not due to the mistakes of the government,” said Vassilis Viliardos, a spokesman for the Hellenic Solution. accuracy that affects households, traditional in-store practices are affected by online shopping. “We have the view,” said Vassilis Villardos, “that the real purpose of the Directive is not consumer protection but uniform rules for multinationals within the common market”, because “only 36% of European consumers trusted, with data from 2015, to make cross-border purchases, while 40% of traders in the European Union considered the different legislation as an obstacle in their work “.
“Nice words, empty content, when we see what is happening today with precision, with misery, with the devaluation of the world and our life,” he commented. special speaker of MERA25 George Logiadis. Especially for misleading practices, he wondered which public body would monitor the implementation of the provisions. He pointed out that the tendency for business concentration is evident, at the same time that in Greece 97% of companies have less than 9 employees and “if this web is destroyed, then the economy will be destroyed”.
Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
Source: Capital
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