MRF-New Beginning to Table Bill Capping Retail Mark-ups on Basic Goods

The political party 'MRF–New Beginning' is set to submit to the Parliament a draft law on maximum retail mark-ups, the party’s press office has announced. The proposed legislation aims to tighten controls on prices and mark-ups on essential goods until the end of 2026, in the context of Bulgaria’s transition to the euro and to protect consumers from speculation and unfair trading practices.

Under the draft law, the Council of Ministers would be required to approve a so-called “consumer basket”, comprising staple food products and goods such as flour, bread, milk, sugar, rice and others. The bill proposes a cap of 20 per cent on mark-ups applied to these goods between the producer or importer and the final consumer, according to MRF–New Beginning.

The explanatory memorandum to the bill notes that similar models are already in place in a number of European countries, including Germany, France, Greece and Spain.

Oversight of compliance would be carried out by the Commission for the Protection of Competition, the National Revenue Agency and the Consumer Protection Commission. Fines for violations would range between €5,000 and €20,000.

The draft law is primarily aimed at supporting and protecting socially vulnerable groups — including pensioners, families with children and low-income households — for whom food expenditure accounts for more than 50 per cent of monthly income.