Skopje, November 24, 2022 (MIA) - It is known what decisions will be made by the Government if, from December 1, there is no reduction in the prices of basic food products according to the component or, in turn, the input of electricity, top government officials say. "For those who will not use the preferential price of electricity, other measures will follow, which will be adopted in case they do not reduce the prices. According to the Trade Law, we can adopt measures in times of crisis to freeze prices, determine margins, etc. We have the lists and the State Market Inspectorate will carry out appropriate controls," said Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi in response to a question at Thursday's press conference, adding that there is already a trend of lowering the prices of certain products. From December 1, as he said, all companies that could use the measure for subsidized electricity supply at a price of EUR 80 per megawatt hour will have to reduce the prices of the products. "There are about 1,000 companies, of which about 600 are small bakeries and only 180 are large producers," said Bekteshi. He stated that the lower interest than planned for subjects from the food sector may be due to the fact that a large part of them already have concluded contracts for the supply of electricity. Of the planned approximately 1,000 entities, only 235 submitted a request to the electricity producing company ESM for subsidized electricity supply at a preferential price of EUR 80 per megawatt hour from December 1. Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski, on the other hand, said that the measures for subsidized electricity for companies that produce basic food products were made in order to reduce the prices of such products by at least 10 percent. "The price of electricity is subsidized for both primary and secondary schools to ensure the smooth functioning of the educational process, because we must not allow children to stay home for so long again. It is also subsidized for health facilities to have uninterrupted supply of electricity and for water supply companies that work with pumps and purification stations for urban water so that citizens are not left without their services," Kovachevski said. He pointed out to the local authorities that the measures are not for the benefit of either the state administration or the municipal administration. "In a time of crisis, it is not funding abundance and comfort, but solidarity. These measures are not for someone to enjoy comfort in times of crisis, and for others to be unable to make ends meet. These measures are not for someone to sit in offices, make coffee, hold meetings and read newspapers. Those measures are for the citizens. That's why the local authorities should submit a request for the communal water supply companies and for primary and secondary schools in order to provide everything that is needed for the children and the citizens," emphasized Kovachevski. dk/ba/