11 January 2013, 16:07
The Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Koshulynskyi registered a bill to amend the Law of Ukraine “On state regulation of production and turnaround of ethyl alcohol, cognac and fruit spirit, alcoholic and tobacco products” (re retail trade of alcoholic drinks, beer and tobacco products) (Reg. No. 1245).
The bill stipulated limitation of a number of licenses issued for retail sale of alcohol and tobacco depending on the number of population, as well as substantial extension of powers of local self-government bodies in regard to regulation and control of retail trade with alcoholic and tobacco products.
Speaking of the necessity to regulate the question of alcohol and tobacco distribution, the Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada stressed that at present the indicators of alcohol and beer consumption in Ukraine pose a significant threat to moral and physical health of the nation. He reminded that according to the WHO data, in 2011 Ukraine was one of the five countries with the biggest amount of alcohol consumption per person. “Such situation together with unsatisfactory state of the national healthcare system leads to very negative demographic consequences, in particular, to high death and illness rates connected with alcohol consumption,” he stressed.
R. Koshulynskyi said that despite the fact that the Parliament has already adopted a number of laws to improve the situation, positive moments of such changes are annihilated considerably due to lack of the necessary mechanism of control – first and foremost at the level of self-governing communities and responsible self-government bodies.
Ruslan Koshulynskyi stressed also that his bill should change the situation for the better, including by giving the self-government bodies the powers to give licenses and introduce quotas for these licenses depending on the quantity of population.
The Deputy Head of the Parliament noted that he believes that stores or departments that sell alcoholic drinks should be separated from the places where other goods are sold, especially when these are goods for children. “One of the additional loads of this bill is to prevent young children from perceiving alcohol as a “normal” product in line with a toy,” he stressed. R. Koshulynskyi is convinced that alcohol should be sold in a separate space, “in the same way as, say, weapons or pharmacological products. And people, having reached certain age and having the wish can come there and buy the respective products.” “This is the European norm,” he added.
Summing up, R. Koshulynskyi said he was convinced that gradual legislative restriction of sale and, as a result, consumption of alcoholic beverages and beer in Ukraine should be one of the main areas of state policy.