CONSUMERS can expect a reduction in electricity charges after September due to the international fall in oil prices, the Commerce Minister announced yesterday.
Speaking to the House Commerce Committee in a meeting to discuss the high cost of living, Minister Antonis Paschalides added he was in constant communication with consumers, oil companies and petrol stations in a bid to monitor how prices were going.
“Phenomena of high cost of living and profiteering in Cyprus can be handled effectively with the co-operation of the government, Parliament, associations and consumer protection services, but not without the active participation and help of the consumers,” Paschalides told deputies.
As a means of informing consumers further on the situation, he continued, the ministry was preparing a number of advertisements, which would aim to sensitise consumers into working with state services for their own protection.
“We will also suggest to the Education Ministry to include certain informative and educational lessons for school pupils and young people,” said Paschalides.
He pointed out that his ministry was in the process of preparing legislative regulations to protect consumers further, while he was also working on better staffing the Committee for the Protection of Competition (CPC).
Costakis Christoforou, the head of the CPC, refrained from offering too many details on his committee’s work in view of investigations into whether there are fixed price lists in the fuel and dairy industries.
“There is a free market in Cyprus, but there is also the rule of law, which we must preserve. This rule of law is what obliges us to substantiate everything we say, and always work within the legal framework that the CPC operates,” said Christoforou.
When he took over as chairman at the beginning of the year, he added, he inherited a large number of pending cases, which were prioritised taking into consideration consumers’ best interests.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Minister Paschalides said he had been impressed by a number of suggestions made by deputies.
Referring to a proposal for the creation of Consumers Commissioner, the minister said this could only be effective if the commissioner was given specific authorities.
“We explained that to the best of our abilities, we as a ministry and all our services, with the co-operation of the Consumers’ Association, are trying to keep consumers informed, enlighten them, but it is also up to the consumers to a great degree to take their own measures,” said Paschalides.
Regarding the cut in electricity charges, the minister said the public would gradually start noticing the reductions soon. “But we need to see when the oil used by the Electricity Authority of Cyprus was bought in order to know when the reductions will be. If it was bought yesterday or the day before, there can be reductions, but if it was bought months ago, when the oil was unfortunately more expensive this will delay the process. But yes, there will be reductions in the EAC charges, both due to the reduction in oil prices and for other reasons.”
