Majority of the social affairs and health committee: tighter rules in the Alcohol Act, changes concerning distance sales must be notified in line with the report

Krista Kiuru

08.06.2026 - The Finnish Parliament’s Social Affairs and Health Committee has considered the government proposal to amend the Alcohol Act. In the opposition’s view, the changes made by the committee are necessary to protect public health, tax revenue and the credibility of the Finnish alcohol system.

The committee’s most important change concerns distance sales of alcohol. In the government proposal, distance sales would also have allowed the sale into Finland of alcoholic beverages stronger than the current retail sales limits, even up to 80%. However, the committee majority decided to significantly restrict distance sales by applying the same limits as in domestic retail sales, meaning that distance sales would be allowed only for beverages of up to 5.5% and 8.0%.

“From the point of view of public health, the most important correction made by the committee is that the same percentage limits will apply to distance sales as to domestic retail sales. Alko’s exclusive rights system must not be undermined through the back door,” says Krista Kiuru, chair of the committee and Member of Parliament.

“Distance sales are now equated with domestic retail sales. The same rules must apply to all operators, regardless of whether alcohol is sold from Finland or from abroad,” Kiuru continues.

The committee’s expert hearings raised broad concern that distance sales of strong alcoholic beverages would increase total alcohol consumption, weaken the effects of alcohol taxation and, in practice, create a sales channel competing with Alko.

“In the expert hearings, the message was clear: distance sales of stronger alcoholic beverages would weaken the public health grounds for Alko and increase the availability of alcohol in a way whose consequences the government has not assessed sufficiently,” says MP Ville Merinen.

“It is difficult to accept a situation where Finnish companies have to follow stricter rules than foreign online stores. Competition must also be fair in the alcohol market. As the Parliament’s unanimous statement already noted in 2018, when it comes to the rules on distance sales, a Finnish alcohol seller must not be placed in a weaker position than a foreign seller. That is why it is important that the possibility for foreign operators to sell alcohol is set at the same retail sales limit as applies to Finnish sellers,” says MP Hanna-Leena Mattila.

Tax supervision related to distance sales of alcohol also came strongly to the fore during the committee’s consideration. According to the Finance Committee, the popularity of distance sales of alcohol from online stores is largely based on the fact that the taxes required under Finnish law are not paid on the products.

“Finnish taxpayers cannot be in a situation where the harms caused by alcohol are left for society to pay, while the profits flow abroad. This is about both fairness and the sustainability of public finances,” says MP Kim Berg.

According to estimates by the Finnish Tax Administration, as much as around 98% of distance sales of alcohol to Finland take place in violation of the current tax rules.

“The Tax Administration’s estimates are alarming. If almost all distance sales take place without the taxes required under Finnish law being paid, supervision must be strengthened significantly,” Berg continues.

The majority of the Social Affairs and Health Committee therefore proposes adding to the law an obligation to register as liable for tax and a mandatory tax identifier. These were measures unanimously proposed by the Finance Committee to stop tax avoidance. The committee also added an obligation for transport companies, according to which an alcoholic beverage may be handed over to the recipient only when the shipment includes an identifier showing that the seller’s taxes have been paid.

“The tax identifier requirement proposed by the committee is a practical way to address tax evasion. Consumers must be able to trust that the taxes required by law have been paid on products delivered to Finland,” says MP Pia Lohikoski.

According to an expert statement submitted to the committee by the Finnish Alcoholic Beverage Trade Association, the state loses up to 285 million euros annually in alcohol tax and beverage packaging tax revenue because of failures by foreign online stores to pay taxes.

“At the same time as the government is looking for savings in health and social services, it has been ready to open up the alcohol market in a way that would significantly increase tax losses,” says MP Hanna Laine-Nousimaa.

The committee majority also considers it serious that, according to the information received by the committee, the changes made to the bill require notification to the European Commission before the final adoption of the law.

“EU regulation cannot be bypassed. If the law requires notification, this must be done properly before Parliament makes its final decisions. The Constitutional Law Committee has stated in different contexts that it is the task of the committee preparing the report to determine whether proposals are in line with EU regulation,” says MP Krista Kiuru.

“Based on the material received by the committee, it is obvious that significant changes must be notified,” says committee chair and MP Krista Kiuru.

“In legislative preparation and parliamentary consideration, corners must not be cut. In changes of this importance, both national and EU legal sustainability must be ensured before the law enters into force. I proposed suspending the committee’s consideration of the report after the first stage, so that we could first ensure that the changes are compatible with EU regulation. Once the notification had been made, the consideration would have continued and the proposal would have been sent to the plenary as notified,” says MP Aino-Kaisa Pekonen.

“It is the committee’s task to ensure that the consideration does not move forward before the committee has received the notified sections from the ministry. However, despite everything, the government parties demanded that the committee hold an extra meeting and carry out the second consideration. I therefore proposed that the committee should proceed correctly according to the Rules of Procedure and make sure, before closing the consideration of the matter in the Social Affairs and Health Committee, that the changes are compatible with EU law. However, the majority did not want to specify whose task it would be to carry out the notification of the changes,” says MP Aki Lindén.

The committee majority warns representatives of the government parties that the committee report cannot be taken to the Parliament’s plenary before the committee’s unanimous entry on ensuring compliance with EU legislative procedure rules has been fulfilled.

“It is important to recall that, according to Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, the assessment of EU legislation in this case belongs to the Social Affairs and Health Committee. Therefore, no other committee or the plenary will assess the need for notification anymore. Only proposals prepared in the way required by EU legislative procedure rules should be brought to the plenary,” stresses MP Bella Forsgrén.

“The Social Affairs and Health Committee heard several experts in EU law and stated in its report how to proceed now. The government parties must act in the way set out in the report,” says MP Hanna-Leena Mattila.

“In the committee’s second consideration, it began to look as if the government parties had been made to rush the alcohol law changes into the plenary at any cost. However, the amendment of the Alcohol Act cannot come up for consideration before the EU has been able to take a position on the changes made by the committee,” says MP Aino-Kaisa Pekonen.

According to the committee majority, in reforming alcohol legislation, the primary priorities must be protecting public health, safeguarding the tax base and ensuring that the key structures of the Finnish alcohol system are not undermined without careful impact assessments.

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Source: SDP parliamentary group