Skopje, 6 May 2026 (MIA) – Food prices increased by less than one percent in April compared to March 2026, according to the government’s analysis based on data provided by the State Market Inspectorate, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski told reporters Wednesday after the launch of the Intraday Electricity Market in Skopje.

“Transport services saw the highest increase and will influence the final April inflation rate, expected in the coming days,” Mickoski said.

He also pointed out rising inflation in the eurozone, noting that it is above 6 percent in Bulgaria, around 6 percent in Croatia, and about 5 percent in Greece.

“We cannot remain immune to this. Considering that last year at this time we also had an Easter basket measure, I expect everything to stabilise during this month and for inflation next month to fall below 4 percent. If the situation in Iran and the Gulf stabilises, I expect we could reach levels that by the end of the year will be between 2 and 3 percent,” Mickoski said.

When asked whether there are options for measures and what they are, Mickoski said that the government does not have much room for measures, expect for influencing value-added tax (VAT). He explained that if the prices and margins are frozen, they are then shifted to other months, adding that “this has proven to be a bad measure.”

Mickoski confirmed that targeted measures for specific products are already being implemented, citing artificial fertilizer and liquefied natural gas as examples.

“So we have targeted measures. But I also want to say and this is very important to emphasize that according to the International Monetary Fund, as a country we are among the top three in terms of the measures we apply, as a percentage of VAT during the crisis,” Mickoski noted.

Photo: MIA