Skopje, 25 February 2025 (MIA) – Parliament at its 35th session on Tuesday adopted amendments to the Consumer Protection Law, which ruling party MPs believe will improve price transparency in markets, boost competition and lead to lower prices.

VMRO-DPMNE MP Bojan Stojanovski said that the law is aimed at protecting citizens’ living standards.

“I am surprised that the no amendments were submitted by the Committee on Economic Affairs, despite some opposition members criticizing the law, claiming it would not achieve the expected results. Government policies are often criticized, yet when the time comes to propose amendments, none are submitted,” Stojanovski said.

He noted that by proposing legislative amendments, they decided to move in two directions – adopting the best practices from Western countries and implementing measures that have already proven effective in practice.

“Citizens will now will be able to choose where to spend their money, because it is not normal to have market prices that are highest in the Balkans, even higher than those in the EU member states. That is not acceptable. We are confident that in the coming period, there will be a reduction in prices that will be acceptable for Macedonian citizens,” he noted.

VMRO-DPMNE MP Dragana Bojkovska said that the amendments will help boost competition among traders.

“With this law, retailers will have to publish the prices of all individual products on both their websites and store shelves, allowing consumers to compare prices and be better informed about how much each product costs at different retailers. The law applies to small, medium, and large businesses but excludes micro-traders and independent retailers,” Bojkovska said.

VMRO-DPMNE MP Toni Jarevski added that making prices available on market websites will improve transparency, promote fair business practices, and strengthen consumer protection.

Earlier today, the Consumer Protection Law was also reviewed by the Parliamentary Committee on Economic Affairs. Under this law, retailers-small, medium, and large-are required to publish product prices on their websites to ensure consumers are better informed. Additionally, those with multiple retail locations must list product prices individually for each store.

The amendments also introduce fines for traders who fail to comply with the law’s provisions or violate the authorities granted to state market inspectors.

At today’s session, the Parliament adopted the amendments to the Law on Mineral Resources under a fast-track procedure. The changes pertain to the method of distributing concession fees for the extracted quantities of mineral resources.

Photo: screenshot