Igor Matovič, the leader of the opposition party Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) succeeded with a legislative proposal which will oblige retail chains to place large boards on the doors of their outlets displaying information about the share of Slovak-produced goods they sell. The changes were passed by parliament at its February 5 session, the TASR newswire reported.
According to the new rules, every retail chain with an annual turnover exceeding €10 million will have to install such boards and place the information, containing the share of goods from the five main countries of origin, on their websites. Moreover, retailers will have to submit the information to the Agriculture Ministry twice a year.
Zsolt Simon, a former agriculture minister and now an MP for the opposition Most-Híd party, said that the idea was not a bad one, but that it cannot be enforced at the moment due to the fact that Slovak legislation does not define what constitutes a ‘Slovak’ product. For example, it is unclear whether orange juice produced in Slovakia can be described as a Slovak product if the oranges used to make it are imported from abroad, Simon noted.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
6. Feb 2013 at 10:00
