MOSCOW, August 23 (RIA Novosti) - The deadline by which alcohol producers and sellers will have to submit data to an automated national system has been postponed from November 1 until further notice, a senior government official said.
Russia's Unified State Automated Information System (EGAIS) will receive data from devices measuring the volume and alcoholic content of produce. Installation of the counters at all companies producing and selling alcohol, not including retailers, will be compulsory.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov said: "We have decided to postpone the introduction of data submission to EGAIS from November 1 until further notice, because we are not yet technically ready."
Zhukov said the decision on the postponement is final, and that "the Finance Ministry will now have to determine a new date for EGAIS launch."
Earlier a source in the government said that the deadline had been moved to June 1, 2008.
