Multiple members of Latvian Saeima’s Economic, Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Policy Committee objected to the amendments proposed by “Progressives” faction this Tuesday, the 14th of January. The amendments provided for making it mandatory for catering companies to provide customers drinking tap water if the location has access to the water supply system.
Opposition member Linda Matisone said she is against the fact that such a provision is included in the law as mandatory, taking into account that for several years the Saeima has not supported the industry’s request to reduce value added tax (VAT) for the catering industry. According to the politician, “Progressives” are two-faced.
Matisone and fellow Saeima deputy Jānis Vitenbergs stressed that the majority of catering companies already provide drinking tap water to their customers.
Latvia in First Place member Viktorija Pleškāne said amendments to the law would interfere with the free market.
Coalition member Valdis Maslovskis said he doubts if it necessary to outline a demand for private companies in the law, adding at the same time that the idea itself is worth supporting.
Jānis Jendzis, President of the Restaurant Society, said that the catering industry has created a memorandum of sustainability on its own initiative.
In his opinion, with the said amendments, the legislator interferes with the business, and this is a dangerous precedent.
He invited the legislator to think of ways to promote water availability without making it mandatory in the law.
New Unity member Jānis Patmalnieks stressed that this issue is also about reducing the volume of containers in a way that does not create additional costs. He said access to water is a fundamental human right in the civilised world.
The majority of the committee conceptually supported the legislative proposal and set a period of one month for submission of proposals.
The amendments provide that the catering service provider shall provide the consumer with information on the availability of drinking water from the water supply system on the menu or at the place of provision of the catering service so that the consumer can see it. The party emphasizes that the requirement would not apply, for example, to aircraft or other means of transport, street sales and places where there is no water supply system.
“Progressive” deputies point out in the annotation of the draft law that in several European Union (EU) countries it is common practice to ask for water from a centralized water supply system, or so-called tap water, in public catering places, and catering places are mostly receptive to such a request.
In countries such as Lithuania and France, the cooperation between the catering company and the consumer – to ask for and provide drinking water – is regulated by law, imposing an obligation on the catering company to provide water from the water tap, the party says. “The regulatory framework that requires providing such a service and informing customers about it normalizes the use of water from the central water supply system both in and outside the public catering,” the party notes.
At the same time, “Progressive” points out that the legal norm proposed by the party does not provide that the catering service provider must offer drinking tap water completely free of charge. The authors of the draft law believe that the possibility may be left to charge a reasonable fee for this service, which would cover the cost of washing glasses and labour costs, as well as the company may be interested in offering an additional service, such as water with added fruit. But the cost of tap water would be cheaper and more affordable for consumers than a water bottle. The free availability of tap water in catering places would successfully compete with the consumption of sweetened beverages, according to “Progressives”, emphasizing that the quality of water in Latvia is also adequate, this water can be freely consumed.