Shops, shopping malls empty as people go on no-shopping boycott across Balkans over rising prices

By Ismail Ozdemir and Dzihat Aliju

SARAJEVO (AA) – A wide range of shopping boycotts are taking place across the Balkan region, with people being encouraged not to shop on Friday in protest of rising prices.

A one-day boycott was launched in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro after consumer organizations initiated a social media campaign urging people not to go shopping.

In Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, markets have been left empty while cafes remain open for business as usual.

The boycott campaign also left Montenegro's markets empty, with Prime Minister Milojko Spajic supporting the action.

Along with markets, shopping malls have also been impacted in Croatia, where a similar campaign was launched last week to protest rising prices.

Some markets announced that prices were reduced on many products amid ongoing boycotts.

In North Macedonia, civil society organizations encouraged people to participate in a nationwide campaign.

In a statement, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said relevant authorities would inspect the markets and impose fines on businesses that did not comply with the regulations.

A store shopping campaign comes a week after the boycott was launched in Croatia on Jan. 24.