The improvement plan retail generated 375 million in investments through 2008

Industry last transposition of the directive on services and supports self-regulation in the commercial distribution

Secretary of State for Trade, Silvia Iranzo, today announced that the first phase of the Quality Improvement Plan in Trade-induced investment generated over 375 million euros thanks to grants for a total of 44.7 million euros, the majority (65%) for marketing the city.

During his appearance before the Committee on Industry, Trade and Tourism of Congress, Iranzo stressed the important catalytic effect "of these proceedings, which will be extended for the period 2009-2012, which is collaborating with the Autonomous Communities.

In this sense, Iranzo explained that the budget for 2009 is eight million euros for the financing of grants awarded by the Autonomous Communities, as well as another 15 million for the establishment of Fund for Aid for Trade which will enable a line of credit through Instituto de Credito Oficial (ICO).

Iranzo said that although the retail sector has a "heightened sensitivity" to the economic cycle, because the situation is "marking patterns of the behavior of consumption in Spain, but said that employment in the sector remains a positive "in the evolution of unemployment with an unemployment rate of 7.93% compared to 13.9% of the total.

LAW OF MINIMUM

Iranzo said that the proposed amendment of the Law of the Retail Trade to transpose the European directive on services in the market already has a preliminary draft law "minimum" that simplify procedures and justify the requirement of prior authorization by "compelling reasons of general interest, excluding the requirements of an economic or nationality.

This text will be dealt with "soon", failing to reach a consensus with the autonomous communities on "details" in order to respect as scrupulously as possible the skills of communities.

ROLE OF THE DISTRIBUTION IN NCC

He explained that the Government is developing at the request of an initiative adopted at the Congress, a "diagnostic report" on the distribution business by obtaining information from all sorts of associations, which will serve the Government to decide whether it is necessary to develop a Contract Law.

However, he recalled that the Ministry of Industry has always been in favor of providing for self-regulation in this case, supplemented by a "strong performance" of the National Competition Commission (CNC) where necessary

Cotizalia 24/02/2009

MADRID, 24 (EUROPA PRESS)