This year’s World Consumer Day on 15th of March 2024, the Union of Working Consumers of Greece/ΕΕΚΕ highlighted the most substantive problem of the Greek consumer market, which is nothing else than the loss of consumer purchasing power

The root cause of the phenomenon is the profiteering and the consequent successive inflationary increases in the prices of consumer goods, sold in the Greek market at unreasonably higher prices compared to the markets of the EU 27 member states of the European Union (up to 361% for detergents, up to 213% for infant milk).

At the same time, consumer finds the fresh products such as milk, meat, fruits and vegetables 500% more expensive than their purchase price from the producer.

The ΕΕΚΕ requested the Greek State to:

• Impose Controls throughout the supply chain
• Strengthen the efficiency of the Interagency Market Control Unit (DIMEA)
• Strengthen the Market Competition Commission
• Reduce the VAT on basic food and household items
• Increase the minimum wage since this action will drill down the income increase to all sectors of the economy, thus increasing the disposable income of working-consumers.

Once again, it is pointed out that the provision of subsidies (food pass, fuel pass, power pass) to consumers is not a policy but an emergency measure of a temporary nature. On the contrary, an important policy measure is the reduction of VAT.

The Union of Working Consumers of Greece/ΕΕΚΕ from September 2021 until today 15th of March 2024 in order to tackle inflationary prices performed the following series of actions:

• Monitoring, recording and control of food prices catering the basic needs of the Greek households
• Monitoring and Control for the implementation of the Household Basket (N 4986/2022) and the Permanent Price Reduction (Greek Government Gazette 5927/11-10-23), measures concerning the access of vulnerable households to foodstuffs and items of basic needs of the Greek household
• Raising awareness to consumers with useful tips and information campaigns to address inflationary pressures
• Collection and distribution of foodstuffs to vulnerable social groups
• Elaboration of researches and studies
• Submission of ΕΕΚΕ issues and relevant proposals to Greek policy makers
• Management of consumer claims and complaints

The consumer has the power to resist arbitrary and opportunistic supplier actions and claim his rights

Consumer is not alone in this difficult market struggle