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- Not getting away with it: authorities have changed their mind about selling alcohol in duty free on domestic flights
Not getting away with it: authorities have changed their mind about selling alcohol in duty free on domestic flights
The authorities have abandoned the idea of allowing alcohol sales at airports on domestic flights. The government has withdrawn its bill from the State Duma, which legalized such sales in retail outlets and duty-free stores in waiting rooms, as well as in baggage claim areas. The initiative was developed and submitted to the lower house at the suggestion of the Ministry of Finance in 2023 to support businesses after the pandemic and during the sanctions period. The bill was criticized by the legal department of the State Duma — it actually lifted the restriction on alcohol sales in the country from 23:00 to 8:00, as well as the ban on carrying liquids over 100 ml in the cabin.
Why did the Cabinet of Ministers abandon the idea of selling alcohol
The bill, which, as Izvestia found out, the government withdrew from the State Duma, was submitted to the lower house of parliament in November 2023 at the initiative of the Ministry of Finance. The document was aimed at supporting businesses affected by the sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The government is withdrawing from the State Duma the draft federal law On State Regulation of the Production and turnover of ethyl Alcohol, alcoholic and alcohol—containing products," the document says (Izvestia has it), sent to the lower house of parliament signed by Deputy Prime Minister and head of the government staff Dmitry Grigorenko.
A government source, commenting on this decision, said that the initiative had lost its relevance.
"Given the temporary nature of the measures provided for in the proposed bill (until June 30, 2026), as well as taking into account the positions of the federal executive authorities concerned, the bill has lost its relevance," the press service of the Ministry of Finance told Izvestia.
In an explanatory note to the bill, it was previously reported that from 2019 to March 2023, the number of duty-free shops (MBTs) decreased by 20%. And the volume of retail sales of alcoholic beverages decreased from 1.12 million dal (a decaliter is 10 liters) to 406.1 thousand dal, which is 64%. In addition, it was noted that under the conditions of sanctions, businesses cannot return goods to their main suppliers due to the closure of transport and logistics corridors by European states.
Earlier, the Ministry of Finance told Izvestia that the adoption of the bill is necessary to provide support to duty free store owners affected by the pandemic and the sanctions imposed. They also stressed that "disagreements with the Ministry of Health, which criticized the initiative, were resolved by the government's decision."
At the same time, the legal department of the State Duma gave a negative review to the bill. In a document that Izvestia has, it was reported that the Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union allows you to bring on board goods purchased at the duty free store.
At the same time, when retailing alcoholic beverages in the waiting rooms of domestic flights, there is a ban on alcohol consumption in public places (clause 7, Article 16 of FZ-289), and liquids are allowed to be carried on board the aircraft only in containers with a volume of not more than 100 ml. This contradiction has not been resolved in the draft law.
In addition, according to the conclusion of the legal department of the State Duma, the document allowed the possibility of retail sale of alcohol in public catering establishments at train stations and airports, as well as the lifting of restrictions on the sale of such products from 23:00 to 08:00. At the same time, the lawyers pointed out that the relevant provisions were not spelled out directly in the text of the draft law.
What are the risks of expanding alcohol sales at airports?
The relevant State Duma committee, which was responsible for reviewing the bill, told Izvestia that the initiative had been withdrawn from consideration by the lower house in connection with the cabinet's decision.
— I think the reason for the recall was that the government decided to keep alcohol drinking under control. After all, if passengers buy bottles of alcohol before departure, it will be difficult to stop them from drinking it at the airport itself or already on the flight," says Nikolai Arefyev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy.
According to him, he is aware of cases when drunk passengers caused discomfort for other travelers.
As Izvestia reported, the initiative was previously actively supported by the Duty-Free Trade Association, as well as a number of airports that suffered financial losses due to a reduction in the number of international flights. However, at the time of writing, the association refrained from commenting on the government's decision to withdraw the bill. A similar position was taken by the International Association of Airports and the largest Russian airline companies.
This decision meets the long-term interests of the state and society aimed at protecting the health of citizens, said Oleg Pavlov, head of the Public Consumer Initiative.
"The refusal to expand the availability of alcohol in the waiting rooms and departure areas of Russian airports is a consistent step in the implementation of the state anti—alcohol policy," the social activist told Izvestia. — It directly contributes to strengthening the national trend towards reducing the consumption of such drinks and promoting the values of a healthy lifestyle.
According to him, passengers on domestic flights should travel in a safe, comfortable environment, and artificially stimulating demand for alcohol before boarding domestic flights carries direct risks to public safety on board.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
