Bulgaria's consumer watchdog threatens retailers with fines of up to €50,000 per item

Bulgaria's Consumer Protection Commission will impose fines of 10 euros to 50,000 euros for each product found to have an unjustified price increase, its chair, Maya Manolova, said on television, news portal Dir.bg reported on Oct. 14. Retail chains must prove that price increases since early August are justified by higher supply costs, or "we will punish them with harsh sanctions," Manolova said. She also wants penalties set as a percentage of turnover. After food, the commission plans to examine medicines, bank fees and mobile services.

Data presented by the commission, the competition authority, the KNSB trade union confederation and experts put markups on dairy products at 141%. Since then, citizens have told her that "markups reach about 240%, mainly on butter," Manolova said. For comparison, she cited typical markups of 15% to 25% in Germany, about 23% in France, up to 40% on vegetables and a European average of about 25%. The goal is lower prices for milk, butter, cheese, beans and other staples.

The Association for Modern Trade, which represents large retail chains, responded with an open letter to Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Economy Minister Alexander Pulev. It requested an urgent meeting over supply risks in the Black Sea region and accused the commission of misreading economic data. "Modern trade in Bulgaria should be considered critical infrastructure," the letter said. The group called for an end to "unjustified institutional aggression" and warned that falling trust could benefit the shadow economy.