Radu Marian, chairman of the Commission on Economy, Budget and Finance, said the government is preparing an alternative law – on short supply chains.
The controversy in the commission was triggered by the PSRM parliamentary initiative on the mandatory minimum of 50% of domestic products on store shelves. PAS believes that such a measure would “only make things worse”.
“Besides the fact that it would lead to higher prices and the unavailability of some products in certain seasons and periods, there is a more serious problem. If other countries introduce mirror measures, and we are a small country that has historically been an importer, the consequences will be severe. Even in 2020, when a similar law was in place, imports exceeded exports by 2.5 times. The measure did not save the economy then. And now imagine if other countries say: “We leave shelves for our goods, and you – Goodbye! with such laws,” Marian said.
He explained that the government is preparing a law on short supply chains to incentivize consumption of domestically produced products.
“This is, among other things, our commitment. The draft will contain a number of elements in line with international treaties through which we will try to stimulate everything related to short supply chains – including labeling, logos, brands. The closer the product is produced, the greater the advantage, benefit and incentive for the buyer,” Marian said.
He acknowledged the challenges in the agricultural and trade sectors, but emphasized the need for pragmatic solutions.
“There are problems, I agree, but we need solutions that work, that have already been applied in other countries. We should not go down the path of non-functional measures that can cause more harm to the country.”
For his part, Petru Burduja, PSRM deputy, one of the authors of the bill on 50% on the shelf, drew attention to the risks of possible disruptions in regional logistics chains.
“In conditions, God forbid, of certain imbalances in regional logistic chains or in a broader sense, we can reach a situation when we will ask our producers to produce something, but they will no longer be there. They are already gone. They are standing in front of the government building and they are not being accepted. We’re talking about a lot of manufacturers who are already closing businesses because they can no longer be competitive. We want our local producers to be alive,” Burduja said.
His position was supported by Vasile Costiuc, MP of the Democrația Acasă party: “We should at least theoretically try to create mechanisms to reduce the share of imports. We are ready to support any of your projects that support local producers. But you have been doing nothing for five years.
At the end of the discussion, five MPs voted in favor of the draft law proposed by PSRM, and six against. With this minimal margin, the representatives of the ruling majority rejected the initiative.
“So the project has the right to live, also because it creates such discomfort,” said the author of the initiative.
