Mitsotakis announces new authority to supervise retail markets

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced plans to establish a new and strong national authority to supervise the market and protect consumers, in his presentation during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

This new authority will be designed along the lines of similar authorities elsewhere – mainly in Scandinavian countries, with Sweden being the closest example to what the government is trying to do in Greece, he said.

“It will operate in parallel with the Competition Authority, it will be supported by existing executives of the Consumer Ombudsman, the General Directorate of Markets, DIMEA, which has done an important job in terms of market control… But I believe that this Authority also puts an end to a fragmentation by unifying services that essentially have common actions. This new institution will be responsible for inspections, complaints, sanctions, and out-of-court settlement of disputes. In the same context, a special application will also be activated on mobile phones, where citizens will be able to inform and mobilise inspectors immediately,” he noted.

Mitsotakis also spoke about a series of additional regulations, such as the establishment by supermarkets, in collaboration with suppliers, of a special label on products that are sold at reduced sizes. Another initiative concerns establishing farmers’ markets that are exclusively for farmers and not traders.

The second issue that Mitsotakis highlighted was migration. “If I had to write a headline, I would say that the penalties will be harsher for those who enter illegally or reside in our country after their asylum application is rejected. With clear explanations, clear solutions, we want to make the return mechanism more effective and fair. This is not just a national priority. It is a European priority,” the prime minister stressed.

He said that migration is an issue that concerns several ministries in various ways. He also stated that overall flows of migrants are lower, with the flows on Greece’s eastern borders, especially, being significantly reduced. “We have good cooperation with the Turkish authorities to restrict illegal migration, the fence at Evros has proven to be extremely effective and that is why it is being extended, but Europe must assume a greater share of responsibility in financing such infrastructure, because they essentially protect the European borders as well,” Mitsotakis noted.

While there were some issues with flows from Libya, he added, “we are dealing with a comprehensive intervention which contributes to having a safer and better everyday life for all Greek women and men.”

Regarding the case of OPEKEPE, the Greek organisation handling the payment of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds to Greek farmers, he stated:

“When a Gordian knot persistently cannot be untied, then it must be cut.”

“And this is the decision we made in the name of – I would say – the historical responsibilities of the entire political world. The government is making a decision to fully restore justice and transparency in the crucial sector of agricultural subsidies and I am sure that the entire primary sector will understand the importance of this choice,” he stressed.

Source: pagenews.gr