Swedish alcohol monopoly urges EU chief to cut down on drinking

Sweden's state-owned alcohol monopoly said Thursday it was launching an 8 million kronor (A820,000; US$960,000) advertising campaign to defend its hold on liquor sales in the Scandinavian country.

Systembolaget, which owns and operates all liquor stores in Sweden, made the case for maintaining its monopoly in a letter to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, and in a newspaper ad was published Tuesday in the Financial Times.

The ad, headlined "Dear Mr. Barroso, Here's why you should consider cutting down on drinking," highlights drinking problems in Europe, and suggests the Swedish monopoly has helped keep down the country's alcohol consumption. (read more to see the ad)

The campaign also includes ads in Swedish papers and a short film on the Internet promoting the monopoly - https://www.DearMrB.se.
"The message we want to aim at Barroso is that the alcohol issue is important," Systembolaget President Anitra Steen, who is married to Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson, told Swedish radio. "The other thing is that we have a working model in Sweden that we want to keep."

Sweden has been under pressure to relax its stringent controls on alcohol sales since joining the European Union in 1995. EU officials say the monopoly is inconsistent with the free movement of goods in the single market, while Sweden argues it is needed to protect public health.

Sweden has been forced to ease some of its import restrictions on alcohol, but maintains high taxes on liquor. Systembolaget's sales have dropped, especially in the southern part of the country, as Swedes go to neighboring Denmark and Germany to get cheaper booze.
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On the Net - Systembolaget's short film:
https://www.DearMrB.se

Copyright 2005 Forsman & Bodenfors
/Martin Cedergren, Creative Director
Forsman & Bodenfors, Sweden