The government's plans to reform Finland's alcohol law may have hit a stumbling block.
Parliament's Social Affairs and Health Committee has recommended that MPs reject the draft bill if it comes before the full legislature for a vote.
The government led by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) wants to change the legislation to allow shops and supermarkets to sell drinks with alcohol content up to eight percent, from the current level of 5.5 percent. The change would only cover beverages produced through fermentation, so it would not include some premixed long drinks, for instance.
However, a majority of committee members — nine out of 17 — said they were in favour of rejecting the government's proposal.
One member of the governing coalition — Päivi Räsänen of the Christian Democrats — sided with opposition MPs on the committee, opposing the legislative change.
"The expert feedback was overwhelming," Räsänen told reporters after the committee meeting. All experts who testified before the committee opposed the reform. Many argued that it would increase alcohol consumption, bringing more costs in terms of social and health problems, offsetting any potential rise in tax revenues.
"It is a very difficult decision from a public health point of view. Of course it [the amendment] will mean that alcohol consumption will increase," said committee chair Krista Kiuru of the opposition SDP, who served as Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services in the previous government.
The committee is expected to submit its final report on Friday.
In its government programme approved nearly a year ago, Orpo's administration said it plans to "reform Finland’s alcohol policy in a responsible manner to make it more in line with the alcohol policy in other European countries". This includes the provision to allow shops to sell beverages with 8 percent alcohol volume.
Terhi Koulumies, a committee member from Orpo's NCP, told Yle that the rejection of the proposal was expected.
"There is nothing particularly dramatic about this, as it was already agreed in the government negotiations that the Christian Democrats would have the right to vote differently. This is perhaps more of a show of opposition than a real problem," she said.
Despite the committee's opposition, the law could still be passed if it receives the support of parliament's Grand Committee and proceeds to be voted on by MPs. Even without the five Christian Democrat MPs, the cabinet still has a narrow 103-seat majority in the 200-seat legislature.
This was the case in 2017, when Parliament voted in favour of allowing shops and supermarkets to sell drinks with alcohol content up to a maximum of 5.5 percent.
Koulumies noted that her party — the largest in Parliament — will fully support the bill should it come before the house for a vote, and that businesses in the alcohol sector have been calling for a loosening of Finnish law for a long time.
"This is a small step towards a European alcohol culture, while at the same time increasing the opportunities for small breweries to bring their own products to the market," Koulumies said.
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