Electrical goods among most expensive in EU

CYPRUS is the fifth most expensive country in the EU in which to buy consumer electronics and household appliances.

According to a European Commission eurostat survey, consumer electronics in Cyprus are ten per cent more expensive than the EU average.

Denmark and Finland are the most expensive EU countries at 13 per cent more than the average, followed by Ireland (12 per cent) and Malta (11 per cent).

Electronics are the cheapest in Bulgaria (17 per cent less than the average), followed by Switzerland (11 per cent) and the Czech Republic (eight per cent).

In the framework of the survey, consumer electronics include the following:

– Equipment for the reception, recording and reproduction of sound and pictures, such as televisions and hi-fi systems.

– Photographic and cinematographic equipment and optical instruments, like cameras and camcorders.

– Information processing equipment like computers, printers and monitors.

– Pre-recorded recording media such as music CDs and movie DVDs.

– Unrecorded recording media, like blank CDs and DVDs.

As far as household appliances are concerned, Malta is the most expensive country at 32 per cent more than the EU average followed by Denmark (27 per cent), Sweden (20 per cent), Finland (14 per cent) and Cyprus (13 per cent).

Again, Bulgaria will leave the smallest dent in the wallet, appliances there 22 per cent cheaper than the EU average.

For the purposes of the survey, major household appliances, whether electric or not, like refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, cookers, microwave ovens and vacuum cleaners were included, along with coffee-makers, toasters and steam irons.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.