The journey toward creating and launching the e-kalathi price-comparison platform stands as a telling example of government delays and missed deadlines in public administration. Although early discussions took place in spring 2023, the tool finally entered its pilot phase on February 10, 2025—nearly 2 years later. During this prolonged period, amid notably high inflation and rising food prices, consumers were deprived of a resource intended to help them save money on everyday purchases.

Concerns arose that e-kalathi might fail to achieve its purpose unless it included all products sharing the same codes—even private-label items. Meanwhile, Ms. Iordanou from the Consumer Protection Service noted that before any platform development could begin, the bill first needed parliamentary approval, followed by the tender process. Under the initial timeline, the entire procedure was expected to conclude by early 2024.

Significant delays in parliamentary discussions caused tensions between the government and opposition parties, with DISY and AKEL accused of stalling debate on e-kalathi until September—when Parliament resumed after the summer recess.

Back to Autumn 2023, Minister of Energy, Commerce, and Industry, Giorgos Papanastasiou, publicly declared strong intentions to bring forward the parliamentary discussion and implement e-kalathi. In statements to the press, he emphasized that the ministry saw e-kalathi as essential, especially given soaring prices for food and other consumer goods.

Despite the ministry’s commitment, the e-kalathi bill faced objections during a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Commerce. The minister expressed bewilderment over claims of insufficient public consultation, arguing there had already been numerous discussions. The Consumer Protection Agency, which operates under the same ministry, voiced strong support for e-kalathi, deeming it a valuable tool to help Cypriot shoppers make better-informed choices.

However, the Pancyprian Supermarkets Association took a starkly different stance, calling the ministry’s initiative “aggressive” and warning that it could distort free-market competition, especially affecting small businesses.

The Consumer Protection Service announced that it was awaiting the passage of the relevant bill to begin work on e-kalathi. Service Director Konstantinos Karayiorgis mentioned the platform could be ready by June or July 2024, “provided all goes well.”

The House of Representatives approved the bill for e-kalathi with 32 votes in favor, enabling the digital platform to operate and regulate the process of collecting and recording retail prices for selected consumer products. The official line once again was that e-kalathi would be ready by summer 2024. Both Mr. Karayiorgis and the Ministry of Commerce announced that the tender process would be launched soon, aiming for the platform’s operation in the first half of 2024.

Contrary to previous announcements aiming for a mid-2024 launch, officials now projected e-kalathi would be operational by late 2024. Speaking to Brief, Mr. Karayiorgis explained that the Consumer Protection Service was finalizing tender specifications and hoped to publish the tender within two weeks via e-procurement. After the legally required 35 days for the tender period, the Service would evaluate proposals and select a provider. Emphasis was placed on ensuring the tender’s terms would be watertight to prevent any legal or technical loopholes that could cause additional delays.

During the presentation of the government’s official 2024 program, President Nikos Christodoulides reaffirmed that e-kalathi would be part of a broader package of measures worth €196 million to support Cypriot society. This package also included a bill to set maximum prices for certain products. However, no clear date was offered, with references only to “immediate and medium-term” measures in 2024.

The Head of the Competition Branch at the Consumer Protection Service, Aliki Iordanou, stated that the winning company for the e-kalathi platform tender would be announced “next week.” Once the contract is signed, e-kalathi would likely become available by late 2024 or early 2025, sparking new concerns that the timeline had slipped once again.

After multiple setbacks, the pilot phase of e-kalathi finally launched on February 10, 2025—about a year and a half after it was first publicly championed in autumn 2023. The platform initially covers 478 basic consumer products, with 22 supermarkets participating. Minister of Commerce Giorgos Papastasiou also announced that the platform’s full rollout would begin on March 4, 2025.

Between the original announcements in 2023 and the pilot phase in 2025, Cypriot consumers faced a period of high inflation, particularly in grocery prices, without the promised tool. Each shifting deadline—early 2024, summer, late 2024, then early 2025—fueled uncertainty.

Now that e-kalathi is a reality, even belatedly, it remains to be seen whether its official launch on March 4, 2025, will meet public expectations. For more than 1 year, a potentially beneficial tool was out of reach to Cypriot households, at a time when access to competitive pricing was needed more than ever.