Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás of Hungary held a press briefing on Thursday, 13 March. Among a number of topics, he also discussed the newly enacted price margin regulation by the Hungarian government, per which profit margins on each product sold by retailers are legally capped at 10 per cent.
The new measure aims to prevent unjustified price increases; and it will come into effect on Monday, 17 March, as Minister Gulyás announced.
‘We do not want a war with the retail sector, but we will act if necessary,’ the Minister proclaimed. He also reminded all that even more drastic measures have been taken in the EU regarding price control, for example, in neighbouring Croatia. Meanwhile, similar government regulations to those just announced in Hungary are in place in the countries of Macedonia, Greece, and Romania.
He added that he believes that this action will lead to an immediate and significant price decrease regarding products such as eggs, flour, milk, and sour creme, which will surely be welcomed by the Hungarian public.
Minister Gulyás was also asked about the Russo–Ukrainian war and the recent ceasefire proposal by the United States. In response, he pointed out that the ceasefire agreement recently embraced by Ukraine and the European Commission is quite similar to the proposal presented by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary the previous summer. He also claimed that if this decision had been reached sooner, numerous lives could have been spared; and further denounced the European Commission’s choice to persist with arms deliveries to Ukraine, describing it as baffling.
Furthermore, Minister Gulyás has voiced his opposition to Ukraine potentially joining the European Union.
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