The National Euro Changeover Committee (NECC) referred yesterday to comments by the Opposition Leader on Sunday, when he spoke about the cost of living, and referred particularly to the Euro Village at Birkirkara.

The NECC said that together with the consumer division it had been monitoring prices over the last months at various places in Malta and Gozo.

It appeared that the price of a small soft drink varied between 35c (EUR0.82) and 45c (EUR1.05), depending on the locality and the outlet, with centres and tourist zones charging more.

The prices of soft drinks also varied according to size. A medium soft drink from the 50 kiosks which the NECC monitored cost about 50c (EUR1.16). The same applied for hot dogs and chips.

In view of this, the NECC said, it believed that the prices of items sold at the Euro Village were fair and reflected market realities, which had remained stable over the last eight months since the monitoring exercise was started.