The differentiated pricing policy followed by companies for similar products, taking advantage of their market position in certain European Union countries, an issue that has been highlighted by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was the focus of an initiative meeting undertaken by Dimitris Tsiodras at the European Parliament in Brussels.

The purpose of the meeting was to coordinate MEPs from eight EU Member States facing a similar problem (Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Croatia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia) to remove territorial supply constraints, so that EU citizens and small and medium-sized enterprises can benefit from the functioning of the EU single market, regardless of their place of residence.

Tsiodras noted that these restrictions unjustifiably increase shelf prices in some Member States compared to others and significantly affect the purchasing power of European citizens.

The meeting was attended by MEPs and MEP representatives from the Netherlands, Denmark and Luxembourg.

The MEP and spokesman of the New Democracy Eurogroup stressed the initiatives that have already been taken with the relevant letter of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the President of the European Commission Oursula von der Leyen and the joint proposal of eight Member States in the framework of the Competitiveness Council in May 2024 following an initiative of Mr. Micky Andrejanssens, former Finance Minister of the Netherlands and noted that the cost of these restrictions to European consumers is estimated by the European Commission at 14 billion euros per year.

He stressed the need for immediate and decisive action at EU level to effectively tackle these practices for the benefit of European consumers and small and medium-sized enterprises, noting that “it is unthinkable in a single market that similar or identical products are sold at different prices depending on the size of the market to the detriment of consumers.”

In conclusion, MEPs agreed to take joint initiatives to raise the issue, such as sending a joint letter to the European Commission, a discussion in the Single Market and Consumer Committee (IMCO), and a request for a debate on the issue in the plenary session of the European Parliament with the participation of the responsible Commission Executive Vice President, Stefan Cezzourne.