OREANDA-NEWS. October 5, 2011. Belarus has opened a tender to identify importers of alcoholic beverages in 2012, the commission responsible for holding the tender said in a statement.

Importers are invited to present their bids to the Trade Ministry by September 26, 2011. They are expected to provide lists of beverages they wish to import, as well as information on the planned amount of import, number of personnel, their average monthly wage, document confirming the absence of debts and budget arrears, etc.

Bidders are also supposed to provide a fresh certificate confirming their statutory capital, and a wholesale licence to trade in alcohol and a licence to store alcohol beverages, non-food alcohol products and tobaccos.

The commission will publish information about the date of the tender as soon as it receives applications from all bidders.

As was earlier reported, Belarus abolished alcohol import quotas and introduced a state monopoly on alcohol import after President Lukashenko signed a corresponding decree on February 29, 2008. The decree empowers the president to approve the list of successful bidders, while the Trade Ministry is supposed to monitor how suppliers fulfill their commitments.