The Democratic faction in Parliament has put forward a number of conditions in exchange for its endorsement to a bill which aims to eliminate state monopoly in the metal exports business, Info-Prim Neo reports. In particular, the Democrats request the introduction of minimum requirements for space, specifically 400 square meters of enclosed storage and processing facilities, and for equity capital and joint stock, of 5 million lei and 2 million lei, respectively. Other proposals include measures to prevent illicit collection of scrap metal, including through child labor. Further, companies will have to have laboratories to test the collected scrap metal for radioactivity and determine its composition, as required by international standards. Lib-Dem Veaceslav Ionita, the head of the parliamentary economy commission, stated that the proposals had nothing to do with the bill in question. “I regret that we have so much manipulation in Parliament. All the aspects of scrap metal collection are already very well regulated”. Veaceslav Ionita reiterated that currently there are at least 70 metal collecting companies that have no other alternative than to sell their product to a state company at very low prices. The bill eliminating monopoly from the metal exports market was adopted upon first reading on July 5. In 2010, the state company Metalferos, which is the only company authorized to engage in exports, reported sales of over 600 million lei and paid 46 million lei in taxes.