With less than two months away from adoption of the euro, the Euro Observatory has signed another four price stability agreements that now brings up the total to 15. These 15 agreements cover around 350 different brands totalling over 6,500 fast moving consumer products.

The latest four agreements were signed with Nestle Malta, Edible Oil Group, Marsovin and Vivian Corporation.

The National Euro Changeover Committee is making public the full list of 6,500 products included in these agreements. The companies signing these price stability agreements have voluntarily agreed to maintain the price of a whole range of products from October 2007 until March 2008 as a clear confidence-building message to consumers in the run up to the adoption of the euro. The importers, distributors and manufacturers that have signed the price stability agreements are guaranteeing their current recommended retail prices till the end of March 2008.

The range of products under these agreements cover items that allow households to buy all their monthly needs ranging from food products to detergents, wines, drinks, books and magazines, pharmaceuticals, personal care and cosmetics.

Consumers wishing to raise a price rise complaint can lodge their complaint either through Linja Ewro 154 or the website www.euro.gov.mt. Such complaints will be tackled through the Euro Observatory and will be investigated.

As a matter of fact, since the setting up of the Euro Observatory, 54 price rise complaints have been received. Thirty-eight have already been concluded, that is, the price rise was deemed to be justified, while 16 are still under investigation.