Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Miroslav Naydenov discussed at a working breakfast with economists to an expert set up a working group within the Council of Ministers to monitor the market prices of food. The discussion was attended by George Prohaski, Chairperson of the Center for Economic Development, Georgi Ganev, Program Director of the Center for Liberal Strategies, Krasen Stanchev, Chairman of the Institute for Market Economics, and MEP Iliana Ivanova.
According to the economists, the benefits of creating the working group will be consumers’ awareness and the lack of panic on the market. They expressed their opinion that the state should not interfere in price ficing and in order the work of this body to be effective, it should not be a part of the executive authority
Minister Naydenov pointed out that he has always been far from the idea that the body will impose certain prices. The expert working group will be in service of other bodies such as the CPC, NRA and the Economic Police. He explained that the working group will operate within the existing administration and budgets. In his opinion, expert working group is made for transperancy throughout the supply chain and when state resources such as grants and additional payments are directed and when there is a deformation and variations of these payments, the amount of those funds to be changed. Very often prices in Bulgaria are formed on the basis of hysteria, said Naydenov and gave as example the price increase of wheat and dairy products. With the establishment of the expert working group, food price analysis and expertise will be provided and such processes will be explained much better to the public.
After the meeting Minister Naydenov announced that he intends to invite pensioners to participate voluntarily in the price monitoring process. Such practice exists in Slovenia and Belgium.Pensioners are the largest part of our active civil society and are the most affected, the Minister added.