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Shops closed on Sundays: rules, exceptions and government news

Lega and M5s have found a compromise between the more liberal line of the former and the more extremist line of the latter - Shops closed every other Sunday and on 12 public holidays - Exceptions are foreseen for neighborhood shops and tourist areas - There are those who can stay always open – Here are all the rules set out in the government bill

Shops closed on Sundays: rules, exceptions and government news

Shops closed on alternate Sundays. After months of negotiations and controversies, Movimento 5 Stelle and Lega managed to agree on Sunday closures, reaching a compromise between the initial extremist line of the pentastellati - shops open only one Sunday out of four - and the more liberal one of the Lega, which instead it proposed the obligation to close only for 8 Sundays a year.

The result of this compromise is a bill that arrived on January 30 in the Productive Activities Committee.

SHOPS CLOSED ON SUNDAY: WHAT THE TEXT PROVIDES

The Government's proposal provides that shops remain open 26 Sundays out of 52, that is to say every other Sunday, while total closure is foreseen on 12 national holidays (New Year's Eve, Epiphany, Easter, Easter Monday, anniversary of the Liberation, May XNUMXst, Republic Day, August XNUMXth, All Saints' Day, Immaculate Conception, Christmas and Santo Stefano), even if also in this case there are exceptions: the opening will be allowed for four public holidays which will be chosen by the Regions.

STORES CLOSED ON SUNDAY: THE DEROGATIONS

There are different rules for i neighborhood shops (retail outlets with sales area not exceeding 150 m² in municipalities with fewer than 10 inhabitants or 250 m² above ed.) which will instead have the "permission" to remain open every Sunday of the year, except for public holidays).

Regole and following the best practices for the tourist areas which will be able to concentrate the opening Sundays in the high season. This means, for example, that in the mountains they can remain open in winter and close in summer and the opposite can be done by the sea.

ALSO READ: De Nicola: “Closing the shops on Sunday? Only e-commerce wins”

WHO CANTO STAY OPEN

The following businesses will not be subject to the new rules and will therefore have the opportunity to remain open:

  • resales of monopoly goods,
  • shops in stations, amusement parks, stadiums and sports centres,
  • motorway service stations,
  • cinema,
  • newspaper shops,
  • takeaways,
  • patisseries,
  • ice cream shops,
  • car showrooms,
  • flower and gardening shops, furniture, books, records, magnetic tapes, cassettes, videotapes, works of art, antiques, prints, postcards, souvenirs and local crafts.

SHOPS CLOSED ON SUNDAY: SANCTIONS

Also establish heavy penalties for those who violate the rules: those who stay open when they can't will receive one fine of between 10 and 60 euros. In case of recurrence, the fine is doubled. The proceeds deriving from the fines will be used to develop activities to combat illegal trade and to finance measures in favor of urban decorum.

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