The lower house of Parliament on Wednesday passed a bill that would impose a mandatory quota on local food sold in retail stores larger than 400 square metres. The bill has come under fierce criticism from EU member states which say it would create favoured trade conditions for local producers and discriminate similar imported goods.
The controversial bill follows up on a Buy Czech campaign and aims to bolster the position of Czech producers in the largely foreign owned retail stores. The bill stipulates that shops over the size of 400 square metres will have to offer 55 percent of domestic products in selected categories, such as meat and vegetables. By 2028 the minimum quota should grow to 73 percent.