VILNIUS - Lithuania's Parliament on June 21 unexpectedly decided that advertising of all types of alcoholic beverages on radio and television during daytime should be banned. The decision came as a surprise as on June 19 lawmakers rejected an amendment to current legislation that would have banned advertising of strong alcohol on radio and television from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
However, two days were enough for parliamentarians to completely change their minds and they raised their hands in support of amendments that ban advertising not only of strong alcohol, but also of beer and cider, during those hours.
Broadcast advertising of strong alcoholic drinks (more than 22 percent) is currently prohibited from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends while wine, beer, cider and alcoholic mixes can be advertised any time of day.
"Advertising of alcohol contributes very much to the consumption of alcohol among Lithuanian youth and they usually start with light alcoholic drinks like beer, cider and alcoholic mixes," Antanas Matulas, chairman of the parliamentary Health Committee which initiated the amendments, argued in support of the new legislation.
He also said he will do his best to achieve a complete ban on advertising of alcohol on radio and television in the future.
Some other politicians downplayed Matulas' arguments saying that a ban on advertising would not solve the problem.
"We see that consumption of strong alcohol is growing in Lithuania and should think of how to better cope with it. A ban on beer and wine advertising will not help," Eligijus Masiulis, of parliament's Liberal Movement group, said.
A few days after the amendments were adopted he started to collect signatures on a statement calling for president Valdas Adamkus to veto the legislation.
Lithuanian sport federations have also joined the campaign against the ban. In their June 21 statement they urged the prime minister and the president to put their efforts into ensuring that the new amendments do not come into force, saying they will result in huge damages for Lithuanian sport. The statement stressed that Lithuanian sports teams and athletes face a loss of some 11 million litas (3.2 million euros) in support if the ban is introduced.
Lithuania's major beer companies are the main supporters of the nation's two strongest basketball teams Zalgiris and Lietuvos Rytas. Other breweries and alcohol production companies also support sports.
But statistics also show that consumption of alcohol in Lithuania, which is one of the heaviest drinking nations in the European Union, is growing. Each Lithuanian resident consumed 11 liters of alcohol last year, 0.3 liters up compared to 2005, data released by the National Department of Statistics on June 22 showed.
