This week, Senate committees are expected to recommend abolishing the introduction of mandatory quotas for the sale of Czech food. Quotas would mean unequal conditions in the sale of goods, which would be contrary to European Union law. This was stated on Monday by Senator Petr Štěpánek (STAN), who wants to push for the abolition of quotas in the Senate Commission for Rural Development.
According to the senator, the interests of Czech food suppliers and regional producers are protected in the proposed law by the possibility of favoring them in tenders. At the same time, Štěpánek wants to replace the term “food from the short supply chain” in the law with the originally planned name “Czech food”.
The Senate as a whole will discuss the amendment to the Food Act next week. In the event of the abolition of quotas, the amendment will be discussed again by the Chamber of Deputies, where there will no longer be enough votes to enforce them. MEPs are likely to change their position.
The Chamber of Deputies approved the quotas at the end of January on the proposal of SPD deputies. According to them, grocery stores with an area of over 400 square meters would have to sell at least 55 percent of specified foods of Czech origin from next year. The quota should gradually increase to 73 percent in 2028. The quotas are to apply to food that can be produced in the Czech Republic. In many cases, however, the Czech Republic is not self-sufficient, as in the case of broccoli or pork.
Senators of STAN and ODS have previously called quotas meaningless. According to them, they would lead to a significant increase in the price of food and they add only large food producers to the cards. The Food Chamber of the Czech Republic, the Wine Union of the Czech Republic and the Confederation of Trade and Tourism also opposed the quotas.
Source: Tyden.cz by www.tyden.cz.
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