Slovak suppliers to shopping malls will be in a better position when dealing with shopkeepers, according to the amendment to the law on inappropriate conditions in retail chains, passed by parliament on October 26.
The new law will bring several changes, such as charging a fee for being included on the list of suppliers, entering food into the register of sold goods as well as paying for services which were not provided, will broaden the definition of inappropriate conditions, with a fine amounting to as much as €300,000, the SITA newswire reported.
The amendment has been criticised by several opposition MPs as well as the retail chains. Former agriculture Minister Zsolt Simon from the Most-Híd party called the amendment bad, saying that the shopkeepers will avoid the law by signing agreements with foreign suppliers, which will, in fact, be disadvantageous to local suppliers and will decrease the amount of Slovak food in stores.
Ľubomír Galko from the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party disagrees with shortening the period for paying invoices to 30 days, explaining that suppliers will try to sign an amendment allowing longer periods for receiving payments since they will not want to lose their customers.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
