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We currently have information provided by The Norwegian Temperence Alliance, for the Eurocare meeting in May 2002.
Two issues dominate the Norwegian alcohol policy agenda this spring:
On March 15, the EFTA Court declared that Norway has failed to comply with Article 16 of the EEA Agreement by maintaining two forms of retail sale: Beer with an alcohol content of between 2.5 % and 4.75 % by volume (mainly produced domestically) may be sold outside Vinmonopolet. Other pre-packaged beverages with the same alcohol content (mostly imported from other EEA states) may, however, only be sold through the monopoly. The EFTA Court declared this practice to be in conflict with the EEA Agreement.
The EFTA Court also declared that Norway has failed to comply with Article 11 of the EEA Agreement. Compared to beer with the same alcohol content (mainly produced domestically), Norway has applied more restrictive measures regarding licences to serve pre-packaged beverages with an alcohol content of between 2.5 % and 4.75 % by volume (mostly imported from other EEA States). The EFTA Court does not regard these measures as necessary and proportionate in relation to the objective of safeguarding public health under Article 13 of the EEA Agreement.
The Norwegian Government acknowledges the ruling of the EFTA Court and is prepared to take the necessary actions in order to meet the requirements of the ruling. The Minister of Social Affairs is, however, disappointed that the court has dismissed the Norwegian Government's objective of safeguarding public health in this matter. The alcohol consumption and health of young people is of great concern to the Norwegian government wishes to protect in this matter.
After the ruling of the EFTA Court, the Norwegian Government has proposed that the Parliament change the Alcohol Act so that beer and other alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of between 2.5% and 4 . 7 5% be treated equally concerning retail sail in grocery shops and supermarkets. In practice, this means that the Government will allow the so-called alcopops, along with different types of wine coolers, ciders, premixed drinks and other prepackaged alcoholic beverages of this alcoholic strength, to be sold in supermarkets.
Over the last years, Norway has witnessed a dramatic increase in the alcohol consumption of young people. The alcohol consumption among 15-20-year-olds was doubled between 1995 and 2001. The EFTA Court ruling means that young Norwegians will be even more exposed to alcoholic beverages and to drinking situations, as a greater amount of alcohol will be availiable in shops. In a press release issued in April, the government urged Norwegian producers of alcoholic beverages and the Norwegian supermarket chains to shoulder their share of the responsibility for assuring that new alcoholic beverages in the supermarkets will not strengthen the alcohol problems among young people and under-aged. The Governmenthas also declared that it expects Norwegian local authorities to control the sales and serving of alcohol more actively in the future. In addition, the Government will follow up by making regulations on the sale and marketing of new products more stringent.
In a letter to the Ministry of Social Affairs, The Norwegian Temperance Alliance has underlined certain important aspects of the procedure:
The Government must ensure that the age limit is respected when supermarkets sell these products to young people. Controls carried out by the youth organisation Juvente shows that as many as 70% of Norwegian supermarkets actually sell beer to 14-15year-olds despite the age limit (18 years);
The age limit should be clearly stated on the labels of bottles along with the alcohol content;
It is of vital importance that the Government provides better funding for prevention programmes among children and young people;
Clear regulations as to the placement of these beverages in the supermarkets must be given; and,
Both short-term and long-term effects of the introduction of these new products among youth groups must be elucidated in future evaluation reports.
It is expected that the Norwegian Parliament will make the necessary changes of the Alcohol Act during the spring session, but an exact date for when these new regulations are to come into force has not yet been set.
Subsidiary outlets of the public monopoly of retail sales
A majority of the Norwegian Parliament's social committee has asked the Government to elucidate the possibilities for establishing subsidiary outlets of the public monopoly of retail sales, Vinmonopolet. These outlets would be smaller outlets than the ordinary Vinmonopolet outlets, having limited opening hours and offering a limited selection of goods.
The background for this suggestion is a wish to channel as much of the alcohol sales as possible through the legal sales systems, as opposed to smuggling and illicit distilling. Norwegian politicians are also concerned with the decreasing support the public monopoly has among the Norwegian population, and it is believed that more monopoly outlets will contribute to increasing people's positive support of the public monopoly. Not all local councils in Norway have monopoly shops today, but goods are also available through interet/telephone order and sent free of charge to the nearest post office.
The social committee also acknowledges the fact that an increased accessibility to alcoholic beverages will cause more alcohol-related damages. The committee therefore sees it as a necessary consequence of a decision to establish such subsidiary outlets and/or opening more ordinary monopoly shops that a considerable increase of prevention work is started. The committee also requests better funding for prevention projects within the school health services, prisons, police services and customs services as well as better funding for projects supported by the new Directorate for Social and Health Affairs.
1996 - 2005 Eurocare