Skopje, 21 March 2023 (MIA) – All price decisions were made after direct talks with manufacturers, and the Chambers of Commerce and the Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia and the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia have been informed, said Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi, commenting on Tuesday’s chamber appeals to stop price freezes and introduce other mechanisms to lower them and help the citizens.

The Ministry of Economy, according to Bekteshi, is open to specific proposals for other measures, mechanisms and methodologies, but only if they are sustainable. So far, they’ve only gotten a proposal to abolish customs duties, which he noted was unsustainable both in the long and short-term.

At a press conference announcing price freeze for rice and eggs, Bekteshi reiterated that he won’t talk to the current management in the bread production sector in the Association of Chambers of Commerce, but directly with the manufacturers.

Bekteshi added that they are open to other proposals that the Government would review and realize in agreement with the Chambers of Commerce.

“If they can propose it to us as institutions, they can present it publicly to the citizens,” Bekteshi said.

Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski pointed out that the decisions are made alongside the manufacturers and traders. That’s why the decisions are made as analyses end. "When we freeze a certain price, we are mindful that the supply meets the demand. We can’t do a general freezing because some products can’t have price freezes,” Kovachevski said in response to a reporter’s question.

The Chambers of Commerce said earlier on Tuesday that price freezes of basic food products are not a market solution, and that the burden of the crisis should not fall onto a single industry, but everyone should help carry it, suggesting that the state provides targeted financial aid at a level of families that would be able to buy bread at frozen prices. dk/nn/