Romanian hypermarkets and supermarkets will face severe penalties if at least 51 percent of their food range consists of non-domestic products. The amendment to this Act, proposed by the Agriculture Committee, was unanimously approved on Tuesday by the House of Representatives.
The requirement for this minimum 51 percent share applies to each product category and only retailers with less than a 2 million Euro turnover will be fully exempt. In any case, the drafters of the legislation will also be more flexible with its application in winter, when there are no domestic fruit and vegetables.
Hypermarkets and supermarkets failing to meet the new regulation can expect fines of up to 100-150 thousand lei (between 22,297 and 33,446 Euro), and in case of repeated offences, the stores may be closed for up to six months.
The Committee's debate was attended by Achim Irimescu, Minister of Agriculture, who sponsored the amendment approved Tuesday. "The government considers it very important to support domestic producers," he stated.
Source: maszol.ro
