By the end of 2024, it is expected that the e-kalathi platform will be operational. The platform will enable consumers to compare prices for a range of products, making the most advantageous choices for themselves.

Approximately two months ago, sources had hinted that e-kalathi would launch in June or July. 

In his statements to Brief, the Director of the Consumer Protection Service, Konstantinos Karayiorgis, mentioned that the Service is currently in the final stage of preparing the terms of the offer, expressing hope that "within the next two weeks we will proceed with the announcement of the tender through e-procurement."

As Mr. Karayiorgis explained, the tender will concern both the design and implementation of the platform, as well as its management for a predetermined period.

"We estimate that the tender will remain open for about two months, considering that according to the legislation, the minimum time a tender must be open is 35 days," he added, noting that "once the proposal submission process is completed, their examination will begin, followed by the selection of the bidder to whom the project will be assigned."

"We expect that the platform will be operational by the end of the current year at the latest, although our initial goal was for this to happen in the middle of the year," he emphasized, stressing that "for us as a Service, what is paramount is first to be correct with the terms of the tender, so as to avoid any gaps that might create problems and consequently new delays in the completion of the platform."

The second goal of the Consumer Protection Service, Mr. Karayiorgis added, "is for the platform to be practical, functional, and fully serve the purpose for which it is created."

Answering a related question, the Director of the Consumer Protection Service said that "the purpose of the platform is to provide a useful and user-friendly tool to consumers, through which they can be informed daily about product prices, compare prices, and decide on their purchases based on their financial data and the best possible prices prevailing in the market."

Regarding the implementation cost of the application, Mr. Karayiorgis mentioned that "it is still under formation and for now, there is nothing to announce."

It is reminded that in the e-kalathi platform, only supermarkets with an annual turnover of 5 million euros and above will participate, and through this, prices for 350 products with the same purchase code will be presented.

Given that for the vast majority of products, there are available in the market more than one brand name, the total number of products can reach 1,500 or even 2,000.

It is worth mentioning that, according to the legislation passed by the Parliament, participants in the platform will be obliged to send their product price data to the Consumer Protection Service daily by 9 am to update the platform.

Finally, it is noted that the platform will be accessible both through a mobile application and a website for computers.