Filenews 19 September 2023
The Commission for the Protection of Competition (PSC) has changed its position on the draft law concerning the implementation of e-kalathi.
A spokesman for the PSC, speaking to the parliamentary trade committee, said that the new leadership of the PSC had a meeting with Energy Minister George Papanastasiou on the bill.
According to the PSC spokeswoman, the Commission received assurances from the minister that appropriate actions for the implementation of the platform will be promoted. He said both the data and the platform would be monitored. He also noted that the government had given assurances that if the PSC asked for data, it would be handed over. He indicated that the ministry accepted all PSC comments.
It is recalled that last May the PSC had argued that e-kalathi would lead to distortions in competition, with the possibility of cartels. In fact, it was said that by posting product prices, businesses will monitor their competitors and some businesses will change their prices based on the pricing policy followed by other companies in the industry.
The Government will not consult again
The Consumer Protection Service of the Ministry of Energy will not proceed with a new consultation of the bill on e-kalathi, said the Director of the Service, Konstantinos Karagiorgis, in response to questions from the chairman of the Trade Committee, Kyriakos Hatzigiannis. As he said, after a year the consultation has been exhausted.
According to Karagiorgis, the bill provides that a decree will be issued, which will oblige businesses to promote the prices of products posted on the online platform. He also said that discussions with stakeholders will follow on how the platform will operate.
It should be noted that in their statements some of the affected bodies reiterated their reservations, stressing that competition will be affected.