Norwegian technology and defence company KONGSBERG has shared its experience with workplace alcohol prevention at a high-level meeting hosted by the government. The company emphasised the importance of supportive managers, early intervention and systematic cooperation with the Akan Competence Centre. Its approach combines clear workplace expectations with individual support, helping employees address substance use problems while maintaining safety and remaining in employment.

Finland recorded 333 drug deaths in 2025, an increase of 86 from 2024 and the highest total on record. Helsinki had the most deaths, while Päijät-Häme had the highest rate relative to its population. Deaths rose across all age groups, and 94 of those who died were women.

Statistics Norway’s 2026 survey found that 30% of people aged 16–79 reported drinking alcohol weekly and 5% reported cannabis use in the past year. The figures offer a snapshot of substance use, with survey methods and uncertainty important to their interpretation.

A Finnish modelling study estimates that prenatal alcohol exposure has declined substantially since the 1990s. Drinking before pregnancy recognition and underdiagnosis of FASD remain concerns.

Lithuania is strengthening its response to FASD through the international FASD-Bridge project, while the Lithuanian organisation FASD platforma has joined the European FASD Alliance, expanding both clinical and civil-society cooperation.

A new Danish survey finds that 38% of 18 to 29-year-olds have gone swimming while intoxicated by alcohol or other substances during the past three years. Gjensidige warns that intoxication can impair judgement, orientation and the ability to respond when something goes wrong in the water.

A new evaluation from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health concludes that Norway is unlikely to reach its 2030 alcohol reduction target unless stronger evidence-based policy measures are introduced.

Landmark victory in Iceland! Yesterday, the Reykjanes District Court ruled that domestic online alcohol sales by private companies violate the state monopoly. The guilty verdict against the retailer Smáríkið effectively shuts the infamous legal loophole used by private sellers. Prevention organizations, supported by NordAN, are celebrating this decision as a crucial win for public health policy. The political battle now intensifies as Parliament considers pending legislation

Movendi Sweden welcomes the government's proposal for a lobbying transparency register, which is scheduled for formal submission to the Riksdag today, April 7. "This is an issue we have championed for a long time," states President Kristina Sperkova. "A lobbying register is an essential first step to making the power dynamics surrounding political decisions more visible and to exposing the commercial interests that currently exert significant influence over policy.