Barely 48 hours after adopting the euro, Croatia found itself in the throes of rising prices that angered citizens, consumer protection groups, and the government.
The third day of Croatia’s eurozone membership brought widespread fury over the latest price hikes related exclusively to the switch to the single currency, which the government called “perfidious exploitation and dishonest profiteering.”
Croatia became the euro area’s 20th member on 1 January, complete with a flying visit from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Zagreb on Sunday.
On Tuesday, numerous citizens reported price hikes from retailers and service providers despite previous assurances from the government and the central bank that there would be no upward rounding off of prices once the euro became legal tender.
Economy Minister Davor Filipović called on Tuesday for an urgent face-to-face meeting with major retail chains to discuss price hikes.
After a short meeting, he told the media that “retail chains have been raising prices every month, and now, after the euro adoption, they are raising prices again and trying to cheat citizens. But that shall not pass.”
In a subsequent tweet, Filipović explained that “all options are on the table, from black lists to a freeze on prices on a wide array of products. Croatian citizens and the government demand a lowering of prices.”
The retail sector within the Croatian Employers’ Association replied that they were “unpleasantly surprised and shocked by the threats” made by the minister.
The state inspectorate recorded 1,738 violations of the law on euro adoption, Index.hr reported on Tuesday.
Ana Knežević of the local consumer protection group said citizens were “angry and disappointed because we’ve had a stampede of prices since last year.”
“And all the time we’ve been told that the euro adoption would not result in higher prices,” EURACTIV reported in late December that price hikes were already widespread and more was expected, with little control by the authorities.
(Zoran Radosavljević | EURACTIV.com)
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