The European Commission decided on Thursday to send a letter of formal notice to Slovakia requesting it to remove restrictions in the food retail sector. The Commission considers that the Slovak measures create more advantageous marketing conditions for domestic products and restrict retailers' freedom to decide on their assortment and the layout of their sale surfaces.
The European Commission sent a letter of formal notice to Slovakia, requesting it to remove restrictions in the food retail sector. Under the current legislation, at least one half of products promoted in store leaflets have to be of Slovak origin.
Such measures are against EU rules on free movement of goods and freedom of establishment, and result in barriers prohibited, according to the press release by the European Commission. Slovakia now has three months to respond to the arguments raised by the Commission; otherwise, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.
Source: Agroberichtenbuitenland