Maya Manolova targets excessive markups in Bulgaria

Maya Manolova, Chair of the Commission for Consumer Protection (CPC) in Bulgaria, is calling for legislative changes and sanctions to combat excessive price markups. She noted that while typical European markups for dairy and vegetables range between 25% and 35%, some Bulgarian retailers have applied markups as high as 125% to 135%.

Manolova has pledged to support Bulgarian producers by ensuring they receive fair placement on retail shelves and to fight for the normalization of prices for essential goods. She identified food, medicine, services, telecommunications, and banking fees as the primary concerns for Bulgarian households.

Following her public appearance on the program ‘Zdravey, Bulgaria’, Manolova’s personal phone number became public, leading to a surge of calls from citizens reporting price hikes. Common complaints include rising costs for medicines, medical services, car maintenance, and food. In response to the influx of reports, Manolova stated she is returning calls to citizens via social media.