On Friday, activists in the Balkans staged a boycott against rising food prices and the worsening cost of living crisis by refusing to visit supermarkets.
Last week, a similar initiative was launched by the Croatian consumer rights group Halo, inspektore ("Hello, Inspector"), and it has now spread to other countries in the region — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia.
On their Facebook page, activists shared several photos of empty supermarkets.
On Thursday, Halo, inspektore urged Croatians to refrain from shopping at Eurospin, Lidl, and DM stores for a week, and on Friday, to completely avoid any grocery spending.
The movement was also supported by Montenegro's Prime Minister Milojko Spajić — according to him, "as a citizen."
In Croatia, ahead of Friday's boycott, the government added 40 more items to the existing list of 30 essential products whose prices are regulated by the state. This includes certain types of cheese, coffee, and essential goods like soap.
"The main goal is to protect the most vulnerable groups of citizens," stated Croatia's Minister of Economy Ante Šušnjar.
In Croatia, shopping in chain supermarkets last Friday decreased by 44%, and overall sales volume fell by 53%, according to a statement from the Croatian tax authorities.
The country is suffering from inflation, which reached 4.5% year-on-year in December. This is the highest rate in the Eurozone, where the average inflation level is 2.4%.
For the first time, Croatia introduced price ceilings in 2022 as a measure to combat inflation caused by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Croatian supermarket chains also responded to the protest movement: Kaufland Croatia announced a price reduction on more than 1,000 products starting February 5.
Another supermarket chain, Konzum, stated that it plans to invest 1 million euros in reducing and freezing prices on 250 domestic products, whose prices are not regulated by the government.