Starting November 15, Bulgarian consumers can expect lower prices on various goods in grocery stores participating in the "Affordable for You" initiative ("Достъпно за вас"). Initially scheduled for November 1, the initiative aims to establish consistently affordable prices. Economy Minister Bogdan Bogdanov clarified the delay and emphasized the involvement of both major food chains and smaller stores. The initiative will expand to include non-food and medicinal products in the second phase.

"In every store included in the campaign, the logo of the initiative will be used, placed next to the product itself. This way we will be able to achieve permanently low prices," explained Bogdanov in a statement to bTV. The ministry plans to conduct weekly analyses, providing a website feature for users to compare specific product prices across the country.

The initiative encompasses a minimum of 50 products, with at least 16 items marked with the logo in each store, spanning various categories such as vegetables, fruits, proteins, etc.

Addressing the recent derogation for the import of Russian oil to the Bulgarian Lukoil refinery, Bogdanov indicated a plan to transition to non-Russian oil. Responding to the investigation announced by Brussels concerning Lukoil, he highlighted Bulgaria's limited control over exports with proper documentation. However, Bogdanov asserted that gasoline and diesel prices in Bulgaria remain the lowest among EU countries.