Bulgaria Joins Case Against Minimum Alcohol Price In Scotland

Bulgaria joins the case in the European Court of Justice against the minimum alcohol price in Scotland, reports Dnevnik.bg, quoting a statement of the Government press office.

“The setting of minimum price on alcohol violates the EU principles of free trade and can be treated as an obstacle to free movement of goods within the EU,” said the statement. “Bulgaria is not only importer, but a significant producer of alcoholic beverages and the introduction of such measures can lead to negative effect on the Bulgarian producers.”

Bulgaria, along with France, Spain, Italy, Portugal is among the countries that most vocally contest the plans since their drafting in 2012, saying the policy is illegal, unfair and ineffective and could have a devastating impact on the wine and spirits industry.

The plan to set a minimum price of GBP 0.5 a unit for all alcoholic drinks in Scotland has been referred by appeal judges to the European Court of Justice, after a long legal battle waged by the whisky industry.

The court of session in Edinburgh said there were several complex issues involving EU law on free trade and the right of ministers to set price controls to protect public health that could only be decided in the European court.

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