Following Croatia’s lead, consumers in Romania are being encouraged to boycott supermarkets due to the highest inflation rate in the European Union, a sentiment echoed by Bulgaria on Thursday.

The rising far-right in Romania is advocating for this boycott.

“Price gouging is intolerable,” stated former presidential candidate Calin Đorđescu in a Facebook video last Sunday. He was the frontrunner in the initial round of the presidential elections in November, which were later annulled amid allegations of Russian interference.

In Bulgaria, where inflation surged by 15 percent in 2022, a boycott is scheduled for Thursday at the behest of various organizations.

“Let’s demonstrate on February 13th that civil society is outraged,” the former MP and ex-Bulgarian ambassador to Croatia told the press, urging for price limits on essential food items.

Georgescu urged Romanians to avoid large retailers and support local shops offering Romanian goods.

Economists note that the inflation, linked to high debt and sluggish reforms in the corrupt nation, is projected to hit 5.5 percent in 2024 after peaking at 14 percent in 2022. This scenario has bolstered support for far-right parties in recent parliamentary elections.

Combined, the three nationalist parties captured one-third of the votes in early December’s parliamentary elections, a significant increase from the singular party, AUR, which had minimal support in 2020.

The party leader, Georg Simion, has also backed the boycott.

“I stand with Romanians on February 10th who declare ‘enough’ to the abuses of large chains,” he remarked, condemning the “excessive profits” of foreign firms.

Currently, there is no data to evaluate the effectiveness of the boycott.

In Croatia, the end of January boycott resulted in a substantial decrease in sales.

Other Balkan nations are also emulating Croatia’s example.

The Romanian government denounced the boycott as a “political” act that could ultimately harm local producers whose products are prevalent in supermarkets.

However, the agricultural union Pro Agro is hopeful that the protest movement will enlighten consumers and compel authorities to take action against the dominance of price-setting multinationals.

On social media, users have rallied against the “isolationist parties” of the far right, encouraging citizens to shop waving the European flag.

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