Nikitiadis – Spyrakos: New Democracy Has No Intention of Controlling High Prices and Bows to Profiteering Interests at the Expense of Citizens
Joint statement by Giorgos Nikitiadis, Head of the Parliamentary Sector for Development and MP for the Dodecanese, and Dimitris Spyrakos, Secretary of the Private Debt and Consumer Protection Sector of PASOK – Movement for Change:
The Prime Minister’s recent announcement of the so-called “National Market Oversight Authority” exposes the government’s familiar tactic: communication gimmicks without institutional substance, recycling of existing structures, and a lack of strategic planning to tackle rising prices.
Instead of establishing a genuinely independent authority with regulatory responsibilities and sanctioning powers, Mr. Mitsotakis is repackaging existing mechanisms, using staff from the Consumer Ombudsman and the Interagency Market Control Unit (DIMEA), dressing them up with a new name to present the obvious as a “reform.” New Democracy has “Balkanized” the country and now wants to implement “Swedish standards.”
Since 2022, PASOK has submitted a comprehensive legislative proposal for the creation of a Consumer Protection Authority—an independent, administratively and operationally autonomous body with clear regulatory, monitoring, and sanctioning powers.
PASOK’s proposal includes:
- Genuine market oversight and regulation
- Strong consumer protection tools such as fines based on turnover and binding enforcement measures
- Incorporation of the European institutional framework
- Establishment of a National Consumer Institute for evidence-based studies, product testing, public information, and consumer education
PASOK remains firmly committed to:
- Reducing VAT on essential goods
- Strengthening the Competition Commission and carrying out effective market inspections through DIMEA
- Empowering the consumer movement
- Creating a Consumer Protection Authority
