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Multi-bill provisions

The multi- bill tendered to parliament foresees fifty changes based on the OECD toolkit concerning consumers and functioning market competition. The bill will be voted in on Sunday.

 

For pharmacies minimum distances between pharmacies are abolished, while population specs are kept in place, and the minimum 50% that the licensed pharmacist must hold in a joint company is abolished.

Pharmacists are allowed to establish more than one pharmacy, there is no minimum floor area, and pharmacies are allowed to co-exist under other establishments.

Lowest price for over the counter drugs are abolished along with guaranteed minimum profit for them, and they will be defined as such if they circulate over the counter in three EU countries. Vitamins and supplements may be sold electronically.

Opening hours for all days save Sundays are liberated.
The fuel trade is liberalized allowing coops and joint ventures to stock fuel, while all sorts of odd fuel sales restrictions are lifted. In all cases fuel distributors must have the fuel inspection system.
Book prices are liberated, except for literature, which retain a single price for first editions and a maximum of two years. CDs, DVDs, and e-books are included in the category.

A pilot program for shops opening voluntarily every Sunday will be applied for a year in three tourist regions, yet to be determined.

An ethics code is established for the protection of consumers during sales and offers periods, the times of which remains the same, while stock and outlet stores cannot offer sale prices. Promotion activities, henceforth, are also liberated.
Henceforth detergents will not have to pay fees to the national chemical laboratory to publicize their chemical compositions, lowering costs.

There will be price ceilings for consumables sold at tourism and travel venues.

Bread will be sold by weight, while there will no minimum weight purchase., and bread will be available for sale in all food and beverage outlets, except for butchers' shops, fishmongers', and kiosks. The minimum stock of flour and salt is also abolished.

Milk will now be labeled as “pasteurized” or “high thermal processing.” Shelf dates will be determined according to the pasteurization method for each industry, as is the practice in Europe. Henceforth packaging will bear the dates of pasteurization, due date, and shelf life. While a new category of same date milk is established.

As concerns olive oil, henceforth its sale will be allows for professional establishments in packaging of up to fifty liters.
There is also a liberalization of bulk cement shipments from EU countries, as long as there is quality control. Asphalt dealers, henceforth, have limitations on capital and storage lifted. Other capital restrictions and regulations are lifted for mining activities.
Restrictions for establishing tourism businesses are also lifted, as are limitations on automobile rentals and limitations on moorings and anchorages.

The aforementioned changes are designed to enhance competition and drive down prices for consumers. So far consumers are skeptical, as any benefits in the past have been absorbed by producers and middlemen never reaching consumers.