Jagoda Lazarević, Serbia’s Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade, addressed the recent boycott of retail chains—which has affected multiple countries, including Serbia—acknowledging public frustration over rising prices of basic goods.
She emphasized that while salaries and pensions are increasing, much of the additional income is quickly consumed by higher costs of essential products, which people expect to be affordable.
Lazarević expressed her own frustration over sudden price hikes and questioned how those with lower incomes manage their limited budgets. She noted that it has become a “luxury” to buy basic necessities due to greed or insufficient earnings.
Although the state should generally avoid interfering in the market, she stressed the need for measured government intervention to protect citizens.
A key issue identified by the minister is the lack of competition in Serbia’s retail sector, where few large chains dominate pricing. She called for the government to take long-term action to address this problem.
Regarding potential measures such as limiting profit margins, Lazarević confirmed that many countries impose such controls and that Serbia will soon consider a range of actions, though not immediate or ad hoc fixes. She expects these steps to occur within this year.
She also noted the concerning pattern of price increases coinciding with salary and pension hikes, which will be examined further.
Finally, Lazarević mentioned ongoing proceedings by the Competition Commission against four major retailers—Delhaize, Dis, Univerexport, and Merkator—for alleged price-fixing, and said she will meet with the commission soon to get updates.
