Skopje, 3 March 2023 (MIA) – Commenting on the Decision to freeze the price of bread, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said Friday that the government will not allow anyone to make extra profit off the backs of the citizens.

Kovachevski said that in the near future the prices of other food products could be frozen as well, and calculations are currently underway.

According to the PM, the government is not imposing anything on anyone, it only makes decisions based on precise calculations, and the laws in the country must be respected. Everyone should demonstrate solidarity during the present crisis.

Kovachevski said that the price cap is in place in order to protect the citizens and expressed his disappointment with certain producers who, he said, according to the published receipts, sold white and semi-white bread on Thursday evening at the price of Mden 50.

“I will not permit anyone to profit off the backs of the citizens. It doesn’t make sense that a small bakery can produce cheaper bread than a large bakery. The companies who are currently refusing to produce this type of bread are the ones that received the largest share of the electricity subsidies. The calculations were made by the baking industry, so the companies should show some responsibility. To profit off of the backs of the citizens when we should be showing solidarity is one of the worst things that a company can do. On the other hand, there are responsible companies and I want to thank them,” underlined the PM and added that new decisions will be made based on the inspection controls.

All legal provisions, said Kovachevski, will be used, from the laws on trade, on consumer protection and on the protection of competition. ad/sk/