We believe that tangible results will soon be
achieved, to encounter the problems mentioned
above.
Additionally, the Ministry has declared "war"
against illegal trade, in cooperation with the
Ministry of Civil Protection, the Financial and
Economic Crime Unit and the competent prose-
cuting authorities. We have already sent to all
those engaged in illegal retail, or wholesale, trade
the message that the State has the means and
the will to ‘respond’ to these practises. Illegal
activities should therefore come to an end; other-
wise offenders will be confronted with painful and
unexpected consequences. Furthermore, market
supervision teams have been significantly rein-
forced, leading to the first positive results against
law violations that were recently disclosed.
The area of public procurement is also suffering
from malfunctions and delays. Written instruc-
tions have already been issued for accelerating
processes, as well as for ensuring transparency
in terms of both technical specifications and the
development of contracts. Moreover, the legisla-
tive framework for the Single Public Procurement
Authority is almost complete. Its main objective
will be to monitor all public contracts across the
country, including the provision of services, the
supply of goods and the execution of works con-
tracted by the public administration and legal enti-
ties of the State, including those of the local
authorities.
Strong emphasis regarding our activity is placed
on monitoring the prices of products that are con-
sumed on an everyday basis. The Ministry’s
Market Supervision Department is carrying out
price and market audits. On the other hand, the
Price Observatory of the Ministry enables the con-
sumer to locate stores with best prices. Special ref-
erence should be made to the fact that three Price
Observatories are currently in operation within the
Ministry of Regional Development and
Competitiveness: The Super Markets Price
Observatory, the Liquid Fuel Price Observatory
and the Tuition Fees Price Observatory. A substan-
tial number of website visitors are consulting the
relevant websites on a daily basis, thus proving
their crucial role to the “battle of low prices”.
The above ongoing actions implemented by the
Ministry of Regional Development and
Competitiveness, on both the institutional and
day-to-day levels, justify our optimism; optimism
for development. We strongly believe that the cur-
rent major crisis may simultaneously constitute a
great opportunity for a change.
Trade with Greece
21
photo: Costas Lakafossis
