EUROPE. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have backed the retention of duty free border stores under new measures being proposed to update rules on excise duties across the EU.
Under the original draft of a new EU Excise Duty Directive, border stores in Greece and Romania would have been outlawed. But as previously reported, member states have pushed hard for an extension. This has now been backed by the EU Parliament, which voted for a continuation of the business without a specific time limit.
European Travel Retail Council Secretary General Keith Spinks said: “I am delighted with this vote and would like to thank those MEPs that have taken this stance. We now hope that the Member States will take full consideration of Parliament’s position. Border shopping has been a fact of life in a number of EU countries for many years. We see no reason for that to change.”
MEPs also backed the continuation of “interlining” – sales to travellers flying from one EU state to another, and then transferring to a final destination outside the EU.
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