June 6, 2024 – 12:09 pm
The Finnish and Swedish governments decided to relax their strict laws on the sale of alcoholic beverages, while maintaining a state monopoly over them. BBC. The Finnish government has already adopted legislation allowing beer, wine and cider to be sold in supermarkets with an alcohol content of up to 8 percent instead of the previous limit of 5.5 percent. The Finnish Parliament passed the law with a majority of 102 votes, but the Christian Democrats in the ruling coalition opposed the proposal for health reasons and the risk of increased alcohol consumption.
Meanwhile, the Swedish government will introduce a law allowing alcohol companies to sell their products directly to consumers. The Swedish proposal would allow small-scale sales to visitors on the premises of alcohol producers.
The Finnish law may come into force in the coming weeks, and the Swedish law has not yet been adopted, and the legislation may not be in effect until 2025 at the earliest.
However, in Finland and Sweden, alcoholic beverages can only be sold in state-owned stores or licensed bars and restaurants. The Finnish decision must still be submitted to the European Commission, so that the body can verify whether the law does not violate EU competition law.
