Dear Mr. Barroso

Through Systembolaget, The Swedish Alcohol Retail Monopoly, and VS Group (distributors of alcoholic beverages) the Swedish government wants to keep its monopoly on all alcoholic beverages so that we in Sweden will not drink ourselves to death. It is really about the huge revenues generated through taxes. In 2004, the Swedish government, through the company VS Group, managed to sell 221 million litres of spirit. 15 percent of that was within Sweden.

Annually, the Swedish government exports enormous quantities of Swedish liquor to other EU-countries at the same time as they want to ban Swedes to buy Swedish liquor from other members of the European Union by confiscating all alcoholic beverages at the borders, or as much as they can get their hands on. 

The government has also prohibited wine, beer and liquor TV advertisements and the printed media is under heavy rules and regulations. This is to protect our health and well-being. On the other hand, when launching a new flavour of the famous Absolut Vodka series outside Sweden, they invest heavily into both TV advertisements as well as the printed media.

In Sweden, the government has the sole rights on all kinds of betting and gambling, all alcohol as well as the sale of all medical substances. They have, however, chosen to privatise and sell off electricity, the subway, health care, telecom as well as the postal services. This way, the Swedish government only keeps the businesses which generate the biggest income and profit.

Should it not be legal for Swedish companies to trade with other European member countries without the Swedish monopoly putting a stop to it? We are a part of the European Union, but the Swedish government mostly wants to be an exception to the rule. We do have free trade within EU, but we cannot buy what we want.

Oh, and we also have the highest taxes on alcoholic beverages in Europe.

Peder Molin

Stockholm, November 24, 2005