The Draft Law on amendments to the Law on internal trade, with which was deleted the provision that obliged retailers to have 50 % of the products of domestic producers on the shelves, was adopted at the last session of the Government of FBiH.
In order for BiH to fulfill obligations under the Stabilization and Association Agreement and the Free Trade Agreement, as well as to remove obstacles in the negotiations for joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Government of FBiH deleted the Article 13 in the Draft of amendments to the Law on internal trade, which stipulated that 50 % of domestic products should be represented on the shelves in retail stores.
“This decision of the Government of BiH will not change anything significantly, because the government did not create mechanisms that would put 50 % of domestic products on the shelves. It has never came to life. We are not expecting some important consequences because the domestic owners of retail chains will not change their business structure but foreign retailers are expected to use it, as they did before,” said Admir Kapo from the Association “Kupujmo i koristimo domace (Buy and use domestic).”
He added that the main problem is the lack of a mechanism for the implementation of legal provisions, specifically when it comes to the Law on Internal Trade, as the owners of foreign retail chains are owing tens of millions of BAM to domestic producers so far.
“The owners of retail chains have so far acted as they thought that it is best for their business, so this probably will not be significantly changed in the future,” said Kapo.
(Source: S. H./Klix.ba)
