Cartels to blame for rising prices in Estonia

There has been a considerable increase in the price of consumer goods in Estonia in recent months. Many citizens blame the upcoming introduction of the euro, the tabloid Õhtuleht notes, but it sees the cartels as the real culprits: "From the point of view of consumers it doesn't really make any difference who is responsible for this trend, commerce or the euro. All they see is a decline in their living standards and a more expensive shopping basket. But how honest are the banks, which have simply increased their fees, or the bakery cartels which are driving up the price of bread yet at the same time backing campaigns that claim the euro has no influence on prices? If the producers make deals with each other to raise prices or like [Finance Minister] Ligi explain that prices may be going up, but not because of the euro, they are doing nothing other than deceiving consumers."

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