September the 15th, 2023 – This week in Croatian politics, the main story has been the capping of the prices of an array of common products, as well as the introduction of the fifth package of economic measures aimed at alleviating the inflationary pressures felt by both the general public and business entities.
The government freezes prices for certain products
Inflationary woes are still part of the every day topics of conversation for very many people across the country and indeed across the entire continent. The Croatian Government has thus decided to cap the prices of many products in an attempt to help spare the pockets of many people struggling with ever-increasing costs for even some of the most basic of items.
The decision to freeze prices for a multitude of products was presented as part of a new package of economic measures devised by those in Croatian politics and primarily aimed at aiding both individuals and business entities going forward. The package was voted in unanimously by the government.
Further information has been provided on the government’s package of measures
As touched on above with the freezing of the prices of a wide array of commonly purchased goods, the powers that be in Croatian politics have decided on a wider set of economic measures aimed at both the public and businesses. Index vijesti/news has more on the topic discussed at the most recent government session.
At the beginning of the aforementioned government session, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic expressed his condolences to Morocco and Libya following the earthquake and flood that affected those countries. He also announced the sending of aid to earthquake-stricken Morocco.
The issue of violence against women and children came to the fore
Plenkovic also referred to the meeting with associations dealing with the burning problem of violence against women. “We’ve presented a set of new measures that deal with the suppression of violence against women and children. This refers to a fairly large number of new measures that will work to strengthen the rights of the victims of such acts,” said the Prime Minister.
He added that the punishments doled out to those who commit acts of violence against women and/or minors are being increased. “We decided that we want to send out a very clear message that killing a woman just because she’s a woman is utterly unacceptable,” he said, adding that the Family Law will also be changed. “We comply with the provisions of the Istanbul Convention as a nation” he said, then added: “The government’s position is that there’s no alternative to continuing our ongoing fight against violence.”
The fifth package of economic measures for both businesses and the general public
Plenkovic then announced the fifth package of aid measures for the public and for business entities. “According to an already very good and well-established procedure, we consulted with our partners, the trade unions, employers, HGK, HOK, pensioners, associations of cities and counties, and the representatives of the largest banks and retail chains operating in Croatia. This, the fifth aid package, is the result of government consultations with numerous sectors,” he said, before commenting on the announced price freeze of certain products, some of which has been detailed above.
“The freezing of the prices of many items will result in more favourable prices for certain foodstuffs and will have the effect of slowing down inflation,” said the Prime Minister. “This package primarily aims to maintain a low price of electricity for everyone, be they individuals in households, institutions, or companies. We’re sending out the message of economic stability,” Plenkovic said, adding that this particular aid package contains measures for both retirees and for families.
“During talks with the government, this country’s retail chains decided to make certain products they have on their shelves cheaper, and I’m absolutely sure that some of them will return some of their prices back to the levels we saw back at the end of last year. I expect cooperation from them,” he said.
Electricity for households/the general public
The price of electricity for households was set to remain the same, but the semi-annual threshold has been raised from 2,500 to 3,000 kWh.
