The Consumer Protection Center (CEZAP) is organizing a roundtable titled “How to Achieve Lower Prices in Montenegro” aimed at fostering a dialogue between representatives of the Government – Prime Minister’s Cabinet, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, the Competition Protection Agency, the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro, the University of Montenegro’s Faculty of Economics, and representatives from retail chains, importers, distributors and manufacturers.
According to the Consumer Protection Center, these are the key stakeholders influencing the formation of product prices.
The goal is to identify the causes of high prices in Montenegro through dialogue and work towards finding solutions to reduce them, ultimately protecting consumer interests. CEZAP believes that only through collaborative dialogue among these actors can the goal of lowering product prices be achieved, which all consumers rightfully expect.
CEZAP has sent written invitations to representatives from supermarkets (such as VOLI, IDEA, HD LAKOVIĆ, AROMA, MEGAPROMET BUDVA), distributors (like NEREGELIA, STADION, BAR KOD, EXPO, ŠKORPION ATLANTIC NALL GROUP), manufacturers (including PIVARA TREBJESA, GORANOVIĆ, PLANTAŽE MESOPROMET), as well as government representatives (Prime Minister’s Cabinet, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Agriculture), the Competition Protection Agency and the Faculty of Economics of Montenegro.
The roundtable will be held on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at the “Bristol” hotel conference hall in Podgorica (Bora Stanković Street 1, Stari Aerodrom) starting at 10:00 AM. CEZAP also invites other interested representatives from supermarkets, distributors, and manufacturers who were not specifically mentioned, as well as the media, to attend. To participate, interested parties must register by emailing cezapcg@gmail.com no later than Friday, March 14, 2024, by 14:00 hours. The roundtable will be open to the public to ensure timely information is provided to citizens.
CEZAP supports every initiative aimed at improving the position of consumers. Through this roundtable, CEZAP aims to open a dialogue among all stakeholders involved in determining the prices of goods in Montenegro, to find ways to improve the situation for consumers and contribute to reducing prices in markets.
Although several roundtables have been held before, CEZAP believes that no concrete solution has been reached for consumers, as there has been no clear model or method identified for achieving lower prices in Montenegro.
CEZAP seeks to open a discussion on specific solutions that could lead to lower prices.
As a non-governmental organization, CEZAP has been fighting for consumer rights in Montenegro for years, protecting their interests. CEZAP is authorized to file collective consumer protection lawsuits in line with the Consumer Protection Act (Article 169, paragraph 1). CEZAP has previously filed two collective lawsuits against a bank in Montenegro over the bank’s unfair practices (such as charging fees for loan processing and early loan repayment), which resulted in court rulings in CEZAP’s favor, fully accepting their claims.
