The Commission incorporated 18 of the 22 amendments adopted by the European Parliament at
second reading and amended its proposal accordingly. The amendments incorporated by the
Commission relate mainly to:
a) clarification of the text: the Commission has incorporated the amendment seeking to allow
Member States not to apply the obligation to state the unit price:
- to products sold in automatic vending machines;
- to itinerant traders and home sellers;
- to food products sold in hotels, cafés, restaurants, bars, cinemas, theatres, teaching
establishments, leisure centres, staff shops at the workplace, hospitals, canteens etc.
The amendment introducing the obligation for Member States to notify separately the system of
penalties applicable to infringements of national transposition regulations was also incorporated;
b) the situation of small traders: the solution proposed by the European Parliament and
incorporated by the Commission at first reading, providing for a longer period of adaptation (six
years) than that initially proposed, was also incorporated. In order to facilitate application,
provision has been made for an obligation for Member States to provide specific information on
transposition regulations for retailers, especially small shopkeepers.
However, the Commission did not incorporate amendments relating to:
- details on the application of price indications;
- the obligation to display double prices (in euros and national currency) during the transitional
period when the single currency is introduced.�