The legal notice which had restricted the sale of non-alcoholic beverages to glass bottles was revoked by the Government on Sunday. This means that the local soft drinks market will be liberalised in the coming weeks.
This decision was agreed upon two weeks prior to the stipulated EU deadline as a temporary derogation was due to expire on December 31 this year. In fact the EU had been insisting that such conditions hinder free trade and competition.
The legal notice has been in force since January 1, 1998 with the aim to protect the environment and to avoid a waste disposal problem due to the huge amount of plastic that would be disposed of yearly.
The revocation was agreed upon after manufacturers and importers have committed to the recycling of at least thirty per cent of the plastic bottles as from the year 2008.
