Skopje, 29 January 2025 (MIA) - Certain vendors and supermarket chains are behaving irresponsibly, profiting from a surge in product prices paid by the citizens. I see this, among other, as an attack on their own country, citizens, and common integrity, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. 

"Price hikes underscore the need for decisive, responsible and transparent action. As a Government, we remain fully committed to combating unfair trade practices and abuses that directly affect the living standards," said Mickoski. 

His post comes after Wednesday's meeting with the Commission for the Protection of Competition, the Minister of Economy, Deputy Minister of Economy and the Director of the State Market Inspectorate, whereat, Mickoski noted, he called for intensified controls and an immediate response on the ground.

"In the spirit of solidarity, I understand the call for boycott of shops as an act of civil resistance against the monopolistic behaviour and social irresponsibility of certain vendors. I have clear knowledge that certain entities are speculatively trying to generate huge profits at the expense of citizens. This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated!," Mickoski said. 

He pointed out that everyone who participated in the meeting has a clear task to check the behaviour of vendors and prevent any abuses.

"I will insist on transparency and rigorous measures against all those who are found to be circumventing the law and abusing citizens and suppliers. Together, we will oppose all those who think they will get rich at our expense. We will deal with this problem and do everything in our power to protect the living standards of all our citizens! In addition, we will continue to subsidize the most affected categories of citizens to further minimize the negative effects of price gouging," the PM said. 

He called on all competent institutions, as well as vendors, to act with complete responsibility and respect for the people.

"These are times of honesty, fair play and solidarity! Together we will build a system that will benefit everyone, against the interests of a few who want to get rich at the expanse of the citizens!," Mickoski's Facebook post reads. 

Calls for boycott of shops nationwide on Friday in protest against surging prices are being shared on social media following last week’s daylong boycott in Croatia. The move is expected to expand across the region to include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Slovenia.

The Organization of Consumers of Macedonia, which is not involved in organizing the boycott, says it supports the act.

“We do not organize the boycott, but we support the citizens in order to encourage the business sector to lower prices of goods, especially foodstuffs, because they have been going only up,” Mirjana Lonchar, president of the Organization, told MIA. 

Even though, she says, we know how prices are formed, yet there is something that’s called living standards.

Lonchar said she hopes the government will support the citizens by taking long-term measures, such as a spring basket that would last three months instead of one.

Commenting on the calls for boycott and in response to reporters' questions at Tuesday's press conference at the Government, Mickoski said he had personal understanding for the action to boycott the shops on Friday in protest against surging prices, reiterating that the institutions are monitoring the situation and react to vendors generating high profits. 

In press releases, the country’s two largest parties - ruling VMRO-DPMNE and opposition SDSM - reacted to the calls for boycott of shops on Friday.

Saying it supported the boycott, VMRO-DPMNE says the institutions will look into all wrongdoings. There is no economic reason to raise prices other than store owners acting on a whim, it notes.

According to SDSM, calls for boycott are increasing because the government has failed to protect the citizens from price hikes. 

Photo: Hristijan Mickoski Facebook / MIA archive