The ALMR has welcomed the news that mandatory charging of fees for restaurant inspections will not be implemented EU-wide.
An announcement by the EU Council has confirmed that the financing of inspections will be decided at a national level, following intensive lobbying by the ALMR and HOTREC.
The European Commission had proposed that costs of official controls should be covered by all food business operators including restaurants, a position that was not adopted by the Council.
ALMR Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “This is a fantastic win for the hospitality industry both in the UK and in Europe. The possibility of mandatory fees being rolled out across the continent left businesses facing the possibility of shouldering an even greater financial burden, and has been averted thanks to concentrated lobbying by the ALMR and our partners in HOTREC.
“It is absolutely correct that the decision to introduce such a fee should only be made by governments at a national level. The focus of our attention will now turn to the UK Government and we will be working closely with them to ensure that the UK’s hospitality businesses are not faced with an additional cost burden.”
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