Minister for Sports, Physical Activity and Youth Mika Poutala (Christian Democrats) speaks during Parliament’s oral question hour in Helsinki. The disputed alcohol proposal is being discussed today in the government session. Photo: Mikko Stig / Lehtikuva
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The Finnish government has agreed to move forward with a proposal to reform alcohol legislation, including the introduction of home delivery and expanded online sales. The Christian Democrats left a dissenting opinion in the official record, citing several breaches of the government programme.
The proposal passed through the cabinet’s general session on Thursday following extended negotiations between the coalition parties. On Monday, Mika Poutala, the Christian Democrat Minister for Sports, Youth and Physical Activity, had exercised his right to remove the bill from the session’s agenda, delaying its progress.
On Thursday, Poutala again opposed the bill, formally proposing its rejection and attaching his dissent in the minutes. The Christian Democrats stated they would seek amendments to the bill during its review in parliamentary committees, specifically regarding alcohol marketing and the proposed alcohol content limits for distance sales.
The bill permits domestic companies to sell alcoholic beverages of up to 8 percent alcohol by volume via distance selling. It does not impose an equivalent limit on foreign operators shipping to Finland. This disparity prompted the Christian Democrats to call for equal treatment, citing concerns over fairness, taxation, and Alko’s market position.
“Alcohol distance sales should follow the same alcohol content limits as domestic retail,” Poutala wrote. He referred to the government’s own preparatory assessments, which indicated that aligning distance sales with domestic limits would best protect Alko’s market share and public health objectives.
The government’s programme states that Alko’s monopoly, granted under public health grounds during Finland’s accession to the EU, must remain intact. According to Poutala, the current bill contradicts this principle by enabling foreign entities to bypass limitations imposed on domestic retailers.
The proposal also includes changes to alcohol marketing regulations. It would allow domestic producers to advertise strong alcoholic beverages on their websites and social media, within legal constraints. This marks a shift from current rules, which limit such marketing to mild alcoholic products.
The Christian Democrats opposed the marketing provision, expressing concern over its potential impact on young people. “Influencers have significant influence over children and young people online. This is a serious issue,” Poutala said.
The Social Affairs and Health Committee will now review the bill. Its Christian Democrat member, Päivi Räsänen, stated on Thursday that she intends to “absolutely oppose” the proposal in committee.
The debate surrounding the bill has exposed policy divisions within the ruling coalition. While the National Coalition Party has led the legislative drafting, the Christian Democrats, Finns Party and Swedish People’s Party have raised objections at various stages.
Poutala said the bill creates incentives for domestic operators to relocate their operations abroad to countries such as Estonia, where fewer restrictions would apply under the new framework.
The National Coalition’s interpretation of EU law is that foreign and domestic operators cannot be treated identically. However, the Christian Democrats argue that a uniform alcohol content threshold for all vendors could be defended on public health grounds and under Finland’s right to maintain Alko’s monopoly.
Final judgement on the law’s compatibility with EU rules would require notification to the European Commission.
The Christian Democrats maintain that the current bill does not meet the conditions agreed in the programme. “Our biggest problem is that [the proposal] no longer reflects what was written in the government programme,” Poutala said on Thursday.
The proposal now moves to the Finnish Parliament for committee handling and debate.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
