New Law For Trading Food Items Adopted

President Traian Basescu signed into law on Wednesday the Law for trading in food items. The House of Deputies adopted the law on September 16.

The law forbids shop owners to impose a certain price they pay to the merchandise suppliers based on services that are not directly linked to processing the merchandise.
Also, taking out from the shelf a certain product must be notified to the supplier two months in advance.

The law comes into force 30 days after its publication in the Official Journal.

Representatives of the Association of Commercial Chains in Romania said the law was infringing upon open competition and will bankrupt the industry, prompting foreign investors to halt their direct investments in Romania.
For his part, the minister of agriculture Ilie Sarbu said the law may prompt a 30% fall in retail prices over a couple of months.

•Translated by AAP