TIRANA, March 18/ATA/ Minister of Economy and Innovation Delina Ibrahimaj said today that an inter-ministerial task force is conducting daily surveillance of national hydrocarbon and food prices.
During a meeting with oil suppliers, attended by Prime Minister Edi Rama, Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Enea Karakaçi and Minister of Finance Petrit Malaj, Ibrahimaj said that the primary challenge centered on maintaining sufficient compulsory reserves.
“There was concern following blocking of the Strait of Hormuz. However, we have concluded that there are sufficient compulsory reserves. Also, the supply channels guarantee non-stop supply because traders have long-term contracts that are not related to the Strait of Hormuz”, said Ibrahimaj.
Minister Ibrahimaj added that the second concern is related to prices, emphasizing that the price situation is being analyzed so that to guarantee that there will be no abuses, both in the fuel and food markets.
“While in the world there has been recorded a 40% price increase, the prices in Albania have not increased more than 10–15%”, said Ibrahimaj, focusing on the experiences of previous crises related to prices that led to the creation of the Transparency Board.
“We believe that we are not yet in a situation to establish that board. But, if we see fluctuations and abuses, then we will intervene because our goal is to protect the consumer”, she emphasized.
Ibrahimaj added that the proposals of the hydrocarbon associations regarding the situation have been to change the tax structure.
Minister Ibrahimaj underlined that, “With the current rate of price increases, we are not in a position to intervene in the level of taxation”. /p.s./
