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Roundup: Lithuania's PM insists gas stations should not sell alcohol

Xinhua, December 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

Lithuania's Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius reiterated on Thursday that it should be fuel and not alcohol sold in the country's gas stations.

"The purpose of petrol stations is to sell fuel and not alcohol; in my opinion, the consumption of alcohol must be reduced," Butkevicius was quoted as saying by ELTA news agency.

According to the head of government, if access to alcohol were limited, consumption of it would decrease.

Butkevicius commented on the latest amendments to the law on alcohol control, currently under consideration in parliament, which foresees a ban on the sale of alcohol at gas stations entering into force on Jan. 1, 2016.

However, a small group of protesters representing Lithuanian gas station workers expressed their discontent on Thursday with the proposed alcohol ban.

"I am working in a gas station; I will lose my job," was written on one of their banners at a silent protest action inside the building of the Seimas, Lithuanian Parliament.

Lithuanian shops selling petrol argue that since alcohol makes up a significant portion of their sales, they would be forced to fire workers if the ban were implemented.

Meanwhile, Lithuanian parliament is considering possibly pulling back from a full ban on alcohol sales in gas stations, and instead allowing the sale of so-called light alcohol beverages, such as beer, cider and wine.

One parliamentarian, Rima Baskiene, spoke of the debate in government with local website vz.lt: "It is weird that we are coming back to this question every year, on Christmas Eve; it is obvious that gas stations are not suitable places to sell alcohol."

Other Members of Parliament pointed out that Lithuania was already one of the heaviest drinking countries in the world, and as such, access to alcohol must be restricted.

Based on figures from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Health Organization, out of 44 countries, Lithuania reported the highest consumption of alcohol in 2013: around 14 liters per person per year.

However, a few other politicians noted that small businesses running gas stations would be affected more than large companies by a full ban on the sale of alcohol.

"It is obligatory to control this process, as it is obligatory to regulate this market and do our educative work. However, we asked the government to solve this problem in a comprehensive way, so that we don't become part of a struggle of interests," Dangute Mikutiene, chairwoman of parliamentary health committee, was quoted as saying by vz.lt.

Due to legal uncertainties, Lithuanian parliament postponed the hearing of the issue for approximately two weeks. Endit