Poland wants to ban the sale of alcohol in shops at night to curb drunkenness, reduce crime and prevent disease. The capital tried, but failed.
Brussels-based portal Politiko reports that Prime Minister Donald Tusk's coalition partners - The Left and the centrist Poland 2050 - have submitted legislative proposals that include a ban on advertising alcoholic beverages, a ban on sales from at least ten in the evening to six in the morning, and restrictions on sales at gas stations and online.
Tusk's coalition partners say the measures, which are in line with World Health Organization recommendations, are among the most effective for preventing alcohol-related diseases, such as cancer or mental disorders.
Similar measures have been in place in Latvia since August.
Poland ranks second in the European Union, after Slovenia, in deaths attributable to alcohol, according to Eurostat data released this spring.
Given that Warsaw failed to introduce a ban due to disagreements among political groups, some believe that the solution to the problem lies in a ban at the national level.
Left MP Joana Viha told Politiko that local governments often lack the determination and courage to ban the sale of alcohol at night. "That's why a top-down ban is needed," she said, suggesting that Tusk's support could help enforce the bans.
According to her, the proposals are now in the public debate phase and parliament is expected to begin working on them in late October or early November.
The Polish Ministry of Health announced at the beginning of the year that, according to data from the end of 2023, alcohol was sold in 119.000 stores in the country, from small private shops to large chains and gas stations that operate 24 hours a day.
By comparison, there are 900 alcohol stores in Sweden, or one per 11.000 people, compared to one per 320 in Poland.
Currently, around 180 Polish municipalities have some kind of nighttime prohibition, including Krakow, a leading tourist destination in Poland.
In places that have a ban on nighttime alcohol sales, police are seeing positive effects - less crime, safer streets and fewer patients in emergency departments, according to local media.
"I would like local governments to follow the example of those who consistently strive to oppose what I call 'liberal alcoholism'. Especially in large cities, the presence of drunk people at night near citizens' homes or in the city center is anything but pleasant," Tusk said recently.
The National Center for Combating Addiction (KCPU), a Polish government agency that coordinates policies related to drug or alcohol abuse, estimates the social cost of alcohol in Poland at 93 billion zlotys (21,8 billion euros) compared to only 14 billion zlotys in excise revenue.
Polish consumption of pure alcohol was 8,8 liters per capita last year and fell from 9,7 liters in 2021 due to lower beer consumption, KCPU data shows.
The high consumption, it is said, may also be due to price - in 2024, the average monthly salary could buy 2.103 half-liter bottles of beer, the most since 2002. The affordability of other types of alcoholic beverages is also increasing.
Meanwhile, the beverage industry has mobilized to fight the ban. "The proposed law is a populist overregulation born of a wave of emotions and a chaotic series of changes that do not take into account consumption trends or market realities," the Polish Brewery said in a statement.
The brewing lobby claims that beer sales have been falling for years, by about 15 percent in six years, while beer prices have increased by 45 percent in recent years.
The Polish brewery also complains that the draft will also include non-alcoholic beer and disproportionately affect domestic breweries.
"Entrepreneurs are once again surprised by legal initiatives that threaten the stability of business," Karol Stec, head of the spirits industry employers' group, told the national PAP agency.
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