EU to Amend Directive 633 on Unfair Trading Practices Following Romania's Model
The European Commission is set to amend Directive 633 on unfair trading practices within two months, adopting key measures inspired by Romania’s approach, Agriculture Minister Florin Barbu announced on Monday, CE Report quotes Agerpres
Romania’s model includes applying a uniform commercial markup on all agri-food products, regardless of origin, banning re-billing in retail stores, and limiting shelf space to ensure fair competition. Barbu highlighted that Romania is the only EU member state implementing such regulations and expects these changes to be integrated into the revised directive.
The amendments aim to eliminate unfair commercial practices by ensuring that imported and domestically processed products are subject to the same markup. Additionally, banning re-billing will prevent hidden rebates and discounts that distort pricing.
Barbu emphasized that Romania has not faced EU infringement issues over its domestic ordinances capping commercial markups and remains committed to legislative reforms to uphold fair market practices.
On Romania’s food independence, the minister noted that while the country relies on imports for certain products like citrus fruits, it is self-sufficient in key agri-food sectors such as dairy, poultry, and grains. Efforts are underway to reduce reliance on pork imports, with plans to increase domestic pig production to 8.7 million within three years.
Barbu’s statements came during a press conference marking the five-year anniversary of the Alliance for Agriculture and Cooperation.
