Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Trade will limit their discussion to internal matters for the time being, addressing issues related to the retail market.

According to the Committee's agenda, the discussion will focus on market functionality topics such as price gouging, competition operation, and consumer protection.

Speaking to Brief, the Chairman of the Trade Committee, Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis, noted that the meeting would be restricted to Committee members. A key issue to be discussed is the failure to pass on reduced VAT rates on products to consumers, despite the state's decisions made some time ago.

Additionally, Mr. Hadjiyiannis mentioned that the Committee would examine potential legislative gaps that need addressing, which currently favor price gouging and lack of competition in the market.

This is why, as explained by Mr. Hadjiyiannis, representatives of the retail sector and consumers have not been invited to today's discussion.

Asked by Brief to comment on the discussion starting in Parliament, the President of the Cyprus Consumers Association, Marios Droushiotis, noted that there are serious indications that Cypriot consumers are not adequately protected.

When asked about the most common complaints the Association receives regarding the retail sector, Mr. Droushiotis mentioned that these complaints mainly concern product guarantees and return policies, which have not yet been regulated by law.