Roundup: How to curb excessive alcohol consumption on top political agenda in Lithuania

Lithuania is at odds over the measures how to curb excessive alcohol consumption in the country, with multiplying cases of fatal consequences due to the problem.

In its latest report, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that Lithuania reported the highest consumption of alcohol in 2013 among 44 countries at around 14 liters per capita per year.

The data also showed that consumption of alcohol rose in Lithuania over the period from 2000 to 2013, while it decreased in some other countries monitored by the OECD.

The statistics by the OECD is being dramatically reflected in Lithuania's everyday life. Debates about so-called war on roads, when drunken drivers cause fatal accidents, have become even more furious after last week's tragedy when a 57-year-old man stabbed to death four women in a row, after drinking non-stop several months.

The tragedy in a small Kraziai village in the Western part of Lithuania, with just 600 residents, shook all the society and triggered reaction from the country's political leaders.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite personally honored memory of the victims last Friday and expressed her sympathies to the families of the deceased.

"Nobody should remain indifferent while seeing the threat of violence and crime in their surroundings; both the state and communities should pay more attention to persons with the history of imprisonment, so that the possibility of new crimes would be prevented in the future," the Presidency said in a statement.

The suspect Rimantas Bekintis, the resident of the same Kraziai village, was prosecuted 11 times in the past for various crimes including one more murder 34 years ago after which the criminal was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment.

Speaker of the Lithuanian parliament Loreta Grauziniene said it was a painful tragedy and alcohol was likely the main reason behind it.

"Fighting alcoholism, helping people suffering from alcoholism, is probably insufficient; we must think about programs and assistance to communities," Grauziniene said and offered sympathies to the families of the deceased and to the local community, ELTA news agency reported.

Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius also blamed the consumption of alcohol for the tragedy.

According to Interior Minister Saulius Skvernelis, excessive alcohol consumption is indeed the main problem in Lithuania. He believes it was related to the crime which was revealed last week.

The minister was informed that the killer told police officers he has been drinking since the New Year and would have killed more if he was not found out. The police officers were not able to talk to the suspect immediately after detaining him as he was drunk, the officials told the media.

ALCOHOL SELLING RESTRICTIONS

Skvernelis believes that selling alcohol in specialized shops is one of the ways to solve the problem.

"We have to start this debate since we have this problem; we must evaluate if social or economic problem is more important," the minister was quoted by ELTA as saying in a conference last week.

He referred to another current debate in Lithuania whether to sell alcohol in gas stations. According to representatives of the fuel-selling business, they would lose revenues and would be forced to fire their employees.

"Here it goes, the debate about the revenues, the employees; however, it is difficult to judge what is more important and how much we, as a state, suffer from excessive alcohol consumption," Skvernelis said.

"Every fatality counts," he added.

The minister also suggested last month the country should introduce zero alcohol promilles ban for drivers in the Baltic country.

At the moment, alcohol content in the blood of most of the drivers should not exceed 0.4 promille.

Back in September, Lithuania was shocked by the incident when a drunken truck driver killed a young police officer on her duty. However, it was one of the many similar cases about deaths on Lithuanian roads fated by the drivers under the influence of alcohol.

Almost a decade of continuing deadly accidents in Lithuanian roads and failed efforts to increase the safety were named after war on roads.

According to the European Commission, Lithuania remains among four member states having the highest road fatality rates in the EU, following Latvia, Romania and Bulgaria.

EXPERTS VIEW

The experts of social behavior, however, see the problem of tolerance of alcohol in the society.

"They are walking close to us, and we close our eyes," psychiatrist Vilma Andrejauskiene was quoted as saying by local broadcaster Lrt.lt.

According to the expert, even people who knew the personal history of Kraziai suspect were tolerant to his behavior in a small community.

Moreover, Lithuanian medical and police services have limited powers to intervene as a person having alcohol dependency could only be treated on his own will.

"The law does not let them (medical and police workers) step further," Andrejauskiene said. Endit