According to reports in the Belgian press, France has agreed to suspend the controversial tax on strong beers which has been a bone of contention among Belgian beer exporters to France.
La Libre Belgique said that Belgium had in turn agreed to drop the complaint it had lodged with the European Union Commission over the tax.
The €2 per litre tax on beers above 8.5% abv has become a source of acrimony between Belgium and France. It was seen by Belgian brewers as a de facto import tax as it applied to many more imported beers, notably the speciality brews from Belgium, than weaker domestically produced beers. France is the prime export market for Belgian strong beers such as Chimay and Rochefort.
