“Issues have been detected in certain types of food, intensive controls are being carried out by the new Independent Authority for Market Control and Consumer Protection, and fines will be imposed on those who have broken the law,” Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos said, speaking to Real FM.

Theodorikakos also noted that “we are on the same side as society. We have taken the toughest and most serious measures, such as the cap on the profit margin, the reform for the new Authority, while hundreds of checks are being carried out everywhere to ensure compliance with the law.”

The Development Minister then warned of strong inflationary waves in the coming period due to the war conflict in the Middle East region, which may also cause a decline in the country’s growth trajectory. He said, “This crisis is the most difficult and the worst we have faced in these seven years, as the region in which the warfare is taking place is directly linked to oil and gas production and is a critical crossroads for the transportation of goods to and from Europe and Asia.”

“We have a very difficult battle ahead of us and from the first days we have reacted with concrete measures to stop the obscenity and contain inflationary pressures as much as possible. I believe that the entire political system must sense this situation and there must be a sense of responsibility, seriousness and reasonableness,” he stressed.

“If we had not taken these measures, we would be paying 2.5 and 3 euros for petrol and diesel, as is the case in many European countries. As of today, diesel is 20 cents a litre cheaper because the subsidy measure was implemented. And this can be seen by every citizen who will put on diesel, especially trucks. We were very interested because it is the fuel for trucks, and this reduces the cost, which is passed on to the overall cost of products and inflation,” the Minister of Development also stressed.

Theodorikos pointed out that last year, thanks to the measures taken, Greece had negative food inflation for five months and negative inflation in necessities for a year. “No government in the past has taken a measure like the profit cap per product code. Of course, I am not arguing that there is no accuracy or that there is not a serious section of society that is being tested and we ought to support them,”
He said.

He also referred to the changes brought to consumer credit by the new Ministry of Development Bill that will be tabled in Parliament after Easter. “We are taking measures to put an end to bad situations for consumers concerning consumer loans up to 100,000 euros without collateral. We are putting an end to small letters where you can’t read what the conditions are, but also to extortionate practices. There will be a cap on how much a consumer loan can reach when you pay it off, and the percentage will be between 30% – 50% above the capital you borrowed.”

On the file prepared by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office on the OPEKEPE case, the Development Minister said that the Government’s doctrine is “transparency everywhere, for everyone and everything. The law must be applied, and everything that is provided for must be done. When the case comes to Parliament, each case will have to be examined individually, all the facts will be looked at, and the necessary decisions will be taken.”