The first few weeks after the introduction of the euro have passed, and all indications suggest that the new currency is gradually becoming dominant in everyday circulation. Despite some attempts to stir up tension, the initial days went relatively smoothly—with the expected pressure on cashiers in retail outlets, but without any serious systemic problems. It is also worth noting the generally appropriate behaviour of the main institutions and regulatory bodies, which have been present on the ground and in the media, but have spoken calmly and avoided artificially inflaming public anxiety.
In sharp contrast to all this was the first working day of the Members of Parliament. In just one day of work, MPs created more uncertainty for people’s lives and for doing business than the entire euro introduction process, and even more than the attempts of global leaders to disrupt the world order. It is one thing that no one now knows exactly how voting in the elections will work, but Parliament is also on the verge of blowing up the business environment by adopting an absurd law that would impose full control over prices.
The so-called “Anti-Speculation” law has nothing to do with the adoption of the euro. It is simply another attempt to put retail trade under political control. The ideas in it are not new. They have been proposed in various forms over the past two or three years, but here they appear in an extreme, almost “on-steroids” version. The list of goods covered is potentially endless, and the duration of the measures is, at the government’s discretion, unlimited. Not only would mark-ups be regulated, but maximum prices would be dictated outright. Prices could even be rolled back to some point in the past—say, to 14 June 2013, when everything was supposedly better.
In short, this draft law should not be adopted—neither in its current form nor in any revised version. The provisions are absurd and, in practice, suspend the market economy. Moreover, the law on the introduction of the euro already provides all the necessary tools for monitoring and control, especially after the changes adopted in the summer of 2025. Finally, there is no extraordinary price shock on the market, and inflation is slowing down, as shown by the latest data from the National Statistical Institute.
The budget crisis at the end of last year clearly demonstrated that this Parliament’s attempts to “work” are more harmful than helpful. The natural solution then was to stop the political struggle and do the bare minimum: adopt an extension budget with a few simple provisions. That was the best possible decision for public finances under the current political and social conditions. The situation today is similar, and it does not even require such emergency measures. The broad public sense that this Parliament has run its course and should not further destabilise the environment may be the best defence against political manipulation of people’s fears and trust.
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