PUHOVAC: WE ARE MONITORING POTENTIAL ATTEMPTS OF ABUSE REGARDING OIL PRICES

BANJA LUKA, JULY 28 /SRNA/ - The Minister of Trade and Tourism of Republika Srpska Ned Puhovac told SRNA that citizens can be certain that Srpska's institutions are carefully monitoring the situation and that any potential attempt at abuse or irregularities in the formation of oil prices will be subject to control by the competent authorities.

He stated that global trends inevitably have an impact on the domestic market, namely on the movement of fuel prices in Republika Srpska. "We are witnessing current instability on a global level, and particularly complex circumstances in the Middle East, which directly reflect on the global energy market, primarily oil and oil derivatives," said Puhovac. He pointed out that the Ministry continuously monitors the market situation and is in constant communication with both economic entities engaged in the trade of oil derivatives and the competent inspection bodies. "What is especially important to emphasize is that the supply of the Srpska market is regular and stable, and that at this moment there is no danger of a shortage of oil and oil derivatives," Puhovac stated. He also reminded that the Government of Republika Srpska has limited margins on oil derivatives, and the competent inspections regularly control the application of these measures. "Along with the margin limitation, I want to remind you that back in April, the Government made a decision to support citizens and the economy through a refund measure of 0.10 KM per liter of purchased fuel. This measure was designed to be simple, accessible, and without any additional administrative burdens for our citizens and economy," Puhovac noted. Citizens and economic entities, he added, can exercise their right to a refund at more than 280 points of sale throughout Republika Srpska, at economic entities participating in the implementation of this activity. "Often in the public, we can hear incorrect information that obtaining the refund requires going through complicated procedures, so I want to emphasize once again that there are no additional requests, applications, or complicated procedures. Everything is very simple, and when purchasing fuel, the refund amount is immediately calculated and deducted on the fiscal receipt, and I invite all citizens and economic entities to use this opportunity," emphasized Puhovac. He said that the goal of this measure is to alleviate the consequences of pronounced global disruptions through concrete actions and provide direct support to citizens and the economy. "The Ministry of Trade and Tourism will continue in the coming period, together with other competent institutions, to carefully monitor all market trends and propose measures to the Government of Republika Srpska that will contribute to preserving market stability, regular supply, and protecting the standard of living of our citizens," Puhovac concluded.