The newly formed Lithuanian government on Friday banned the serving of alcohol in parliament (Seimas) and announced a state monopoly on its sale, reports dpa.
– We believe that Seimas is not a place for drinking alcohol – said Rima Baškienė on behalf of the center-right coalition that includes the Lithuanian Peasant Party and the Greens.
Lithuania’s GDP is growing annually between two and three percent, which is half of what it was a decade ago when the nation was considered a European model for a successful transition from a planned to a market economy. The population has decreased during the same period from 3.3 to 2.3 million.
Economic difficulties are driving alcohol consumption, which, along with the outflow of the population to wealthier parts of the EU, was a major topic leading up to last month’s elections. The Peasants and Greens promised, among other things, a more active role for the state in the economy, a state monopoly on alcohol sales, and the establishment of a state-owned bank that will compete with commercial competition.
