Merchant Protest against Consumer Protection

Dozens of holders of small food stores in seaside resorts protested on Friday, in front of the Prefecture Constanța, for two hours, compared to the ‘abusive’ measures that the protection of consumers takes against them, regarding the application of GD 559/2001 on the marketing of food and non -food products in the tourist resorts.

‘Seasonal does not mean illegal’, ‘we sell food, not drugs’,’ stop to favor the big chains of shops’, ‘The conditions are legal, the abuses,’ Mr. Constantinescu, the coast is not a private club ‘,’ Law for some, abuse for others’, are some of the slogans of the protesters.

According to them, the provisions of GD 559/2001 apply only to small food stores that operate in the summer season, the supermarkets being allowed to carry out their activity.

‘It only limits us, not the big chains of stores, it is an abuse. We want to let us work, we have employees. (…) In 2001 when the decision 559 was given, the situation was different, there were no real food stores on the coast. We want to change the law so we can work. We have operating authorizations data after 2001, but the ANPC intends to close us. In other cases, the City Hall has not given us a food store authorization, « said one of the small traders.

The head of the County Commissioner for Consumer Protection (CJPC) Constanța, Horia Constantinescu, said that the normative acts in force must be respected.

‘Normality is that when a normative act is in force, it must be respected until possible the moment of its amendment or, why not, even the removal of its normative acts. We cannot ignore the application of the law, it would create an anarchic state that we certainly do not want. We will continue to take firm measures. (…) Fermence says they have nothing to look for, the Cașcarabets on the coast. (…) The town halls continued to close or close their eyes, or continue to authorize and, unfortunately, the vast majority of the local authorities on the entire coast. But at this moment, to see the full part of the glass, the town halls, Eforie, Costinești understood, and I see that the City Hall Constanța, to send the economic operators to re -evaluate the operating authorizations and, more than that, to start the procedure for eliminating all the constructions of a provisional character ‘, said Constantinescu.

He also stated that ANPC has offered consulting small traders, to work legally, on how to administer a Snack-Bar type public food structure.

‘The food shops in the construction must have certain equipments, and according to this normative act, the decision 559/2001, only certain categories of products can be sold in such structures. Let’s think about canned beans, for example. But the preparations, the semi -preparations of meat or milk must be sold through public food structures. All our authority has provided consultancy to those who understood that they must comply with the law and guided them how they can arrange and manage a Snack-Bar type public food structure. We also discussed with the representatives of the other authorities, because including hot or cold drinks, alcoholic or non-alcoholic (…) in such a structure must be sold. If we want to protect tourism, tourism means a set of activities and you do not have to, near a few restaurants that offer products, quality services and respect all the requirements, sell a similar, identical product, in an end, in a discriminatory variant, making the one next to us to go bankrupt. (…) We have a normative act that says it cannot be, it cannot be, « said CJPC Constanta representative.

According to the GD 559/2001 regarding some measures for marketing food and non -food products in the tourist resorts, the marketing in the tourist resorts of the food, respectively of the preparations and semi -preparations of meat, milk, eggs, of bakery, pastry and confectionery, as well as of alcoholic beverages, not allowed in non -alcoholic beverages. tourist with classified public food functions and in specialized units.