Parliament voted on Friday to advance a proposed revision of Finland's alcohol law.
In an initial vote, Parliament decided by a margin of 95–78 that the government's proposal to introduce stronger alcoholic beverages in grocery stores should proceed, with 26 MPs absent. The law would bring stronger beers, ciders and wines into grocery shops.
The convoluted legislative process took an unusual turn last week, when the parliamentary Social Affairs and Health Committee recommended that MPs reject the proposal, as Päivi Räsänen of the Christian Democrats, a junior government partner, voted with the opposition members of the committee.
Friday afternoon’s vote in the plenary session overrode the Social Affairs and Health Committee’s opposition to the bill.
That means the proposal now proceeds to the Grand Committee, where it is expected to be processed quickly next Wednesday. The governing parties have a 14–11 majority in the committee, so the bill is likely to pass even if the one committee member from Christian Democrats votes against it.
It will then return to the floor of Parliament for expected final approval.
Government, opposition ranks split
Currently, the alcohol percentage limit is 5.5 percent for beverages sold in stores and supermarkets, with no restriction on the manufacturing method. According to the government's proposal, long drinks with more than 5.5 percent volume could only be obtained from state Alko outlets in the future.
As expected, government ranks split in Friday’s vote. The Christian Democrats and one Finns Party MP rejected the new alcohol law.
On the other hand, the government picked up support from two one-man parties, Movement Now and the one-man parliamentary group Timo Vornanen, who was recently kicked out of the Finns Party. The government's proposal was also backed by two MPs from the Greens and one from the Centre.
Greens proposal voted down
On Friday MPs also rejected a proposal by Atte Harjanne, chair of the Green Parliamentary group, which called for the reference to fermentation to be removed from the government's proposal.
That would also allow stronger long drinks to be sold in shops, for instance. Some critics argued that the bill places beverage manufacturers in an unequal position and could therefore violate EU law. However, the governing parties overruled this change as well.
The Social Affairs and Health Committee members who voted against the bill last week noted that all the experts who testified before the committee had spoken out against it. Most said it would increase overall alcohol consumption, bringing more social and health problems.
In a report published on Friday, the FCG Finnish Consulting Group calculated that alcohol is a factor in 22 percent of avoidable deaths in Finland.
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