Skopje, 29 January 2025 (MIA) - In a social media post Wednesday, Minister of Economy and Labor Besar Durmishi voiced support for the announced boycott of markets on Friday, noting that the citizens and consumers have the right to choose how and where they spend their money.

“We support the citizens especially in boycotting the markets that enormously increased the prices of products over the past years without any economic logic. We, as the Ministry of Economy and Labor, adopted measures for the protection of the living standard of the citizens by capping the profit margins of basic food products to avoid enormous price hikes with no basis, and in that context, we welcome these initiatives and activities by the citizens. Over the past years, the previous Government tolerated retailers, who got rich on the backs of the citizens through unfounded price hikes. This behavior must end,” Durmishi wrote.

The Minister said the State Market Inspectorate is on the ground and will make use of all mechanisms at its disposal if it identifies unjustified price hikes and disruptions of the logic of the market.

An initiative for the boycott of markets on Friday is spreading on social media following a similar action in Croatia in protest of high prices. The initiative urges citizens to avoid shopping in markets on Friday due to the rise in prices of basic food products.

Photo: MIA Archive