With a focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and the use of real-time data, the Ministry of Development is accelerating plans for a new digital era of market oversight and tackling inflation.
At the center of this effort is the new“PosoKanei” platform, which is set to replace and upgrade e-katanalotis, aiming to become a key tool for consumers to compare prices and shopping options.
The new app will provide real-time information on prices and changes in basic everyday consumer goods, utilizing data from the market’s leading retailers.
The 10,000 products that will be included in the system
As part of the planning process, the Ministry of Development issued a request for proposals to CIRCANA HELLAS for the provision of information services to the new platform. The deadline for submitting proposals is May 26.
The subject of the contract is the transmission of a list of the 10,000 highest-volume products on the market (top 10,000 SKUs) to the new Independent Market Control and Consumer Protection Authority.The company maintains databases containing codes for both branded products and private-label products sold in supermarket chains.
These codes will form the backbone of the new digital tool, which will provide consumers with real-time information on prices, comparisons, and changes in basic everyday consumer goods.
The estimated value of the contract is €9,300 excluding VAT, for a total of €11,532, and will be covered by appropriations from the Ministry of Development’s regular budget for 2026.
AI and Digital Market Monitoring
The plan is directly linked to the creation of the new Independent Market Control and Consumer Protection Authority, for which a €4.6 million funding program is being launched in parallel.
This initiative aims to upgrade the Authority’s digital capabilities, utilizing artificial intelligence applications for “smart” market surveillance.
The new system will utilize data analysis tools to identify violations, categorize complaints, conducting ex officio inspections, and imposing fines, while also supporting administrative decision-making processes to enable faster and fully documented interventions.
The public expenditure for this action amounts to €4,612,800 and is part of the “Ministry of Development’s Operational Program 2026–2030,” under the priority axis “Strengthening Trade and Consumer Protection.”
The European market model
Government sources report that the goal is to create a unified market surveillance mechanism modeled after advanced European countries, where artificial intelligence is already used to monitor prices and combat profiteering.
Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos has described the new Authority as “a very significant institutional reform,” noting that for the first time, a coordinated mechanism for market oversight and consumer protection is being established.
According to ministry data, fines totaling millions of euros have already been imposed for violations related to the profit cap and the Code of Conduct.
Source: APE-MPE