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EU PolicyWatch

Database of national-level policy measures

Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.

Factsheet for measure SI-2022-36/2838 – measures in Slovenia

Ensuring transparency of retail prices for consumers

Ukrepi na področju prehrane in prehranskih veri

Country Slovenia , applies nationwide
Time period Temporary, 01 September 2022 – 31 March 2023
Context War in Ukraine
Type Legislations or other statutory regulations
Category Responses to inflation
– Support for other basic items (e.g., food, housing, public transport, medicines)
Author Maja Breznik (University of Ljubljana) and Eurofound
Measure added 12 September 2022 (updated 06 June 2023)

Background information

Recently, the prices of food in general and some elementary ingredients, in particular, have surged to unprecedented levels. In 2022, food and non-alcoholic drinks prices rose by more than 10% compared to 2021.

Some elementary food ingredients got even more expensive: cooking oil (40%), butter (20%), milk (18.3%), all types of meat (20% on average), flour and cereal products (22.1%), and bread (10.8%). Therefore, the government decided to mitigate the effects of rising costs by two measures: a review of retail food prices at six retailers to combat excessive trade margins and a higher food allowance for employees.

Content of measure

The Ministry of Agriculture hired a subcontractor to review and compare prices of a maximum of 75 food products on sale by six Slovenian retailers. From 1 September 2022 to 31 March 2023, the subcontractor must keep online records of prices, origin and quality of food products available to the public. The aim is to assure the transparency of retail prices for consumers, check the excessive increases of trade margins by retailers and control the quality of products. The reviewer should update data every 14 days. Food products included in the review are flour, bread, pasta, various types of meat, milk and dairy products, eggs, cooking oil, sugar, apples, potato, and sugar.

By another measure, the government raised the value of untaxed food allowance (for which employers do not pay taxes): from €6.12 to €7.96 a day. The decree came into force on 1 September 2022.

Use of measure

No information are available.

Target groups

Workers Businesses Citizens
Employees in standard employment
Does not apply to businesses Applies to all citizens

Actors and funding

Actors Funding
National government
Employer
National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

Trade unions Employers' organisations
Role No involvement No involvement
Form Not applicable Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

  • No involvement
  • Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

No involvement.

Views and reactions

The social partners did not react or publicly comment on this measure.

Sources

  • 30 August 2022: Decree on the tax treatment of reimbursement of costs and other income from employment (Uredba o davčni obravnavi povračil stroškov in drugih dohodkov iz delovnega razmerja (www.pisrs.si)

Citation

Eurofound (2022), Ensuring transparency of retail prices for consumers, measure SI-2022-36/2838 (measures in Slovenia), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/SI-2022-36_2838.html

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Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.