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1. Finland has only negative alternatives to choose from
The Consequences of the EU Enlargement in Finland´s alcohol policy
Finland has only negative alternatives to choose from in combating the adverse effects of alcohol. This comes into effect when alcohol imports are deregulated at the beginning of next year. This is particularly concerned with Estonia´s entrance into the EU on May 1st, 2004. Finland has special regulations related to alcohol imports. However, from the beginning of next year Finland will have to conform to new EU regulations.
It has been hypothesised that these changes will increase total consumption of alcohol in Finland 10-30 per cent, depending on taxation solutions. Alcohol consumption has been increasing slightly within Finland during recent years. Current total pure alcohol consumption is 9.3 litres per inhabitant per year. This is based upon data from 2002.
There is an enormous difference in alcoholic beverage prices between Finland and Estonia. Whereas a bottle of spirits now costs EUR 14 in Finland and EUR 4 in Estonia, the tax reform would bring the price in Finland down to EUR 9. Although this makes it cheaper to drink in Finland, the reduced restrictions upon alcohol imports means travelling to Estonia on so called "booze runs" is an even more tempting prospect. For a Finn it's easy to go for shopping trips to Estonia. It takes one hour to travel from Helsinki to Tallinn and there are several (40-50) departures every day. Not only this, the price of travelling to Talinn can be as little as 28 Euros if you travel by ferry.
Finland has decided to reduce taxes on alcohol. The final proposal was made to Parliament by The Ministry of Finance. The proposal includes a reduction of taxes to the degree of 44 per cent for spirits, 10 per cent for wines and 33 for beer. The tax issue is debated separately for each alcoholic beverage category. Spirits are the most heavily taxed alcoholic beverages in Finland, and the most conspicuous price difference between Finland and Estonia is in that category. Cutting taxes on alcohol would remove this anomaly, which is the most blatant and serious. But this would not change the overall level of taxation very much, as taxes on beers and wines would not be affected at all or, if so only by a very small amount. It would be irrational to lower the tax on wines. This is as wines are already taxed the least of any alcoholic beverages, and furthermore there are only very small price differences between Finland and Estonia.
That model of taxation will not be received with satisfaction by all interest groups. For example, the Finnish alcohol industry has proposed a model that would bring the price of a bottle of spirits down to EUR 4, the same as in Estonia. This is for obvious self interested economic reasons and would result in even more obvious effects upon the amounts of alcohol consumed within Finland.
One out of two passengers will bring back 10 litres of alcoholic beverages.
Though speculation on the real consequences of import deregulation involves a great many variables, assumptions still have to be made in this unique situation if we are to have any numerical projections at all. The National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health has estimated that if Finland's alcohol taxes are not changed in any way, imports will triple from their present level.
Furthermore, the 'worst case' scenario is based on rather liberal assumptions. It assumes that 2.5 million trips are made to Estonia each year and that half of all these travellers, who differ greatly in age and background, would bring back 10 litres of wine and that furthermore, an additional 500,000 Finns would take their cars across and buy even more.
But according to some opinions, it is an exaggeration to assume that one out of every two travellers (including adolescents, women, and grandparents) would bring back an average of 10 litres.
2. A new national alcohol programme involving a new type of partnership will be introduced - Partnerships to combat adverse effects
Tax policy is only one tool for minimizing future growth in alcohol consumption and its adverse effects in Finland. It may be the tool that has greatest interest for the public at large, but it is perhaps not the most important.
The Government intends to adopt a resolution later this autumn outlining Finland's alcohol policy for the period from 2003 to 2007. This resolution will express the Government's will to do everything possible to tackle the problem. It will also set out the goals of central government and the resources allocated to implement them.
The National Alcohol Program will be published at the end of this year. It it based on Resolution of the Government. The Government's political decision is of course binding only on the inner circle, which consists of the Ministries. Ministry of Social Affairs and Health proceeds away from the centre and encounters local authorities, various organizations, and trade and industry. Although the Government cannot force collaboration on them, they intend to draw up a partnership agreement specifying how alcohol-related issues should be handled. The partnership agreement will be a key element in the national alcohol programme drawn up by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. It is convinced that if the concept is properly introduced a broad range of actors will be involved in a coordinated effort to combat the adverse effects of alcohol consumption.
3. Substance abuse prevention programme for non governmental organisations
The proposal for a substance abuse prevention programme for NGOs (Non Government Organisations) was presented at the The National Conference on Alcohol and Drug Prevention on 9 September 2003. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health will introduce its own programme and proposal for a partnership agreement in the autumn. The aim is for the substance abuse prevention programme for organisations to serve as the contribution of social and health organisations to that programme.
The proposal is to be sent to organisations for comment. The aim is for the proposal also to be discussed by the trustee bodies of organisations. A working group consisting of members of substance abuse prevention organisations will finalise the proposal into an organisational programme by the end of 2003. Thereafter, organisations may choose which operational policies and objectives they are prepared to commit themselves to and to implement.
Background
The substance abuse prevention programme for non-governmental- organisations originated in the need of organisations involved in preventive substance abuse work to determine their own operations and their standing in the field of actors, to find a greater understanding of themselves, and to outline future visions and the potential of organisations to respond to future challenges.
The threat of increased alcohol consumption as the European Union enlarges and taxes are reviewed has given additional momentum to the debate on the means with which organisations respond to increases in consumption and harmful effects.
Non governmental organisation's view of the Future and responding to it
From the viewpoint of civic organisations, the imminent alcohol tax reduction next year resulting from EU enlargement poses three major threats. Firstly, when alcohol consumption increases, so do its harmful effects. Increased alcohol consumption brings about more violence and a sense of insecurity among the population, as well as alcohol-related diseases and the need for their treatment. Secondly, the consumption of alcohol among young people will rise. The effects of lower prices will be greatest among young people who, according to surveys, have in recent years slightly reduced their alcohol consumption. Lower prices may put a swift and powerful end to this favourable trend. Thirdly, social inequality will further increase. One of the most important reasons for the weakening of health equality has been the increased consumption of alcohol and greater amount of harmful effects among the lowest-earning sector of the population. Drastic changes in price would highlight this trend in particular.
Supporting the daily wellbeing of people is a task for substance abuse prevention. Working with people increases the organisations' knowledge of how people see and experience such wellbeing. Collecting and utilising this tacit knowledge is a key task for organisations, and civic organisations also provide a channel for influencing public opinion. Structures need to be created and reinforced both at the local and regional level. Close cooperation between the various actors and different viewpoints can expand and enrich the field of operations. Diversity is the richness of organisations. (Siisiäinen 2003).
In the view of organisations, current legislation on the prevention of harmful effects resulting from substance abuse is valuable and worth maintaining. Regulation must be justified and it needs to correspond to reality in order to be credible. One example of this is maintaining age limits on alcohol consumption. Social and health organisations consider it important that people want and are able to make decisions that promote health and social wellbeing. It is also important for these viewpoints to be taken into account in decision-making and operations. In practice, such decision-making may necessitate accepting certain restrictions and prohibitions.
The work of organisations is respected and trusted. High quality substance abuse prevention work requires expertise of high professional calibre. The work is also subject to a large number of qualitative requirements, which calls for an adequate allocation of resources. Organisations, in turn, appreciate work undertaken to develop the welfare state and services provided by the social and healthcare system. Organisations seek to take part in substance abuse prevention work, service provision and decision-making as independent actors. Organisations also hold key roles in developing new modes of operation.
Programme policies
The objective of organisations' operations in the near future is to respond to challenges via five programme policies, which are introduced here:
1. Immediate communities and everyday life
One of the great challenges of substance abuse prevention is to put into practice in the everyday life of individuals and communities the information accumulated from hands-on experience with people's needs and encountering substance abuse.
Alongside professional responsibilities, substance abuse prevention work should develop modes of operation related to voluntary civic activity and contribute to the creation of new welfare structures. Organisations' field of activity also comprises the interpretation and communication of information obtained through experience and research for wider use in society. At their best, organisations are active in both directions, in addition to which they convey their own expertise for the benefit of others.
Finnish drinking habits have remained unchanged for decades, and they seem to be passed on to new generations as well. Therefore, it is important that people monitor their own alcohol consumption and think about its effects and meaning in their own lives. Only people themselves can bring about the oft-cited and longed-for change in alcohol culture. It is also important for people to have access to assistance and support as necessary in dealing with problems in the early stages.
2. Development of cooperation with other actors
The large number of organisations involved in substance abuse prevention is indicative of the diversity of life and its problems as well as of the many different, at times mutually exclusive yet equally valuable approaches to problem solving. It is important that actors in the field of substance abuse prevention locate new arenas of activity and new opportunities across boundary lines. In practice, it is essential to develop cooperation between substance abuse prevention organisations regardless of any viewpoint differences and to develop cooperation also between bodies other than substance abuse prevention actors.
3. Impacting on decision-makers
Measures to impact on substance abuse prevention operations are necessary, but at the local or regional level these matters on their own may not be given enough weight or may be viewed in a too narrow perspective. If this is the case, it might be well advised to link substance abuse matters to larger entities, such as municipal welfare plans. After all, comprehensive approaches have been found the most effective in improving public health.
Monitoring is also part of influencing. Organisations have traditionally served as a "watchdog". The consumer movement monitors the realisation of consumer rights, truthfulness in advertising, etc.; in the same way, civic organisations in field of substance abuse prevention could well expand their expertise in this direction.
4. Impacting on the media
In order to take advantage of the power of the media, organisations require the virtues of civic activity: awareness of topical events, bold striving for publicity, and preparedness for quick reactions. In many cases this calls for organisations to create a new kind of communications culture and a flexible mode of operation both within the organisation and between organisations.
5. Clarifying the measures for substance abuse prevention and cooperation
Although substance abuse prevention is a statutory activity, the concept and content of substance abuse prevention still needs to be further clarified and defined. Actors in the field should be aware of that range of core knowledge and skills which is essential, and of the qualitative requirements for successful work.
In some cases, the unit of municipality is too small for proper service provision. Creating a regional organisational network could be of major significance to local organisations, which may feel that their operations and resources are inadequate (and for which cooperation might bring the necessary additional resources).
Report produced by the Finnish Centre for Health Promotion, September 2003.
1996 - 2005 Eurocare