Alternattiva Demokratika in a statement today called on the government to regularly publish comparative lists of prices of sensitive products like medicines through which the consumer can see the difference between prices in Malta and prices in other EU countries.

Richard Schranz, AD spokesperson for Consumer Rights, said: 'This should be one of the tasks of the newly set up consumer agency proposed in the last budget. The government should also ask importers to account for any unjustified discrepancies between prices in Malta and other EU countries. In cases where no credible justification is offered, AD calls on the government to take remedial action to ensure fair pricing.

"In a small country with a very restricted market and a limited number of importers, the government is more than justified to intervene to ensure fair competition and fair pricing for consumers. In the medicine sector where people's lives and well-being are at stake, the government should consider other avenues for importation such as the creation of a non-profit cooperative set up for the purpose of importing generic medicines with a minimum mark up on prices for cost recovery."

Mr Schranz. said that measures which could be considered were in-depth study of prescription practises by doctors and whether the common name of particular medicines should be prescribed with the choice of brand left to the consumer.

One could also consider the possibility of government cooperating with the locally based generic drug manufacturing industry with a view to developing off-patent medicines for government medicine schemes, benefitting local jobs with long term agreements keeping prices stable .

Turning to vegetables, he said that in the agricultural sector it was intolerable that prices deviated substantially from the price offered to farmers.

"In this sense we reiterate our proposal for the organisation of farmers' markets in which producers can sell directly to the consumer".