Filenews 15 June 2024 - by Eleftheria Paizanou
After a delay of more than three months, a bill will be put before the House Trade Committee on Tuesday that would impose, if Parliament agrees, a cap on the sale prices of bottled water at airports, ports, stadiums, remote beaches, theatres, cinemas, archaeological sites and museums.
Only at points of sale where consumers have no alternatives, i.e. in areas where there are no other water outlets.
It is worth noting that there were reactions to a delay in the discussion of the bill in the competent committee, resulting in the loss of already a month from the summer, a period with high water consumption on beaches, airports, stadiums, etc.
The bill to set a maximum selling price for water in places where sufficient competition cannot develop was approved by the Council of Ministers on March 6, but was submitted to Parliament on March 27.
As we have been told, due to the workload of the parliamentary committee and also due to Parliament's adjournment for the elections, it was not possible to discuss the bill earlier.
Under the bill, the commerce minister would be able to issue a decree specifying which products would be capped. The measure will apply only to bottled water, in packages of 500 ml and 750 ml. The maximum selling prices will be determined after an investigation by the Consumer Protection Service, the Department of Commerce, which will take into account production and import costs, a reasonable percentage for operating expenses and a rate of profit.
Specifically, the cap will be imposed on water prices also in cases where consumers serve themselves, i.e. they pass by a store and buy water without sitting in the restaurant to be offered serving services. Both price caps and points of sale may be revised by decree.
At the same time, the Consumer Service will carry out ex officio or following a complaint inspections and when it is found that the business intentionally or negligently does not keep a price list and imposes higher prices than the maximum selling prices set in the decree or provides misleading information, then the competent authority will initially proceed with a recommendation to put an end to the infringement.
According to the bill, if the company does not comply, then an administrative fine of up to €10,000 will be imposed, while in case of continuation of the violation, a fine of €1,000 will be imposed for each day of the violation.
OEB and CCCI consider that capping various products distorts the functioning of the market, with consequences to the detriment of consumers.
