The alcohol industry is lobbying heavily against an upcoming ban on alcohol advertising in Lithuania that is set to take effect in 2012. Carlsberg executives have pressured politicians to withdraw the ban, threatening to pull out of the Lithuanian market. Meanwhile, media companies with ties to the alcohol industry are spreading misinformation about the ban and blocking discussions in support of it. Public support for the ban remains strong, but the intense industry pressure campaign appears to be influencing politicians and shifting public opinion against the policy.

1. Industry declares war on proposed alcohol advertising ban in Lithuania
June 20, 2011- In 2008 the Lithuanian Parliament accepted an amendment to the Alcohol
Control Law that would install a comprehensive ban on alcohol advertising in the year 2012.
Now with only 6 months left the pressure to withdraw the ban is steadily rising. The alcohol
industry has stepped up its lobbying activities and politicians are backing out.
The Lithuanian National Tobacco and Alcohol Control Coalition reports that Sven
Langeneckert, Vice President of the Carlsberg Group traveled to Lithuania to convince the
prime minister why the total ban must be stopped. Lietuvos Rytas, a Lithuanian newspaper
even quoted the Carlsberg Vice President as saying that the company would leave the
country if the ban would come into force. Such a withdrawal could possibly have a severe
impact on the Lithuanian economy as Carlsberg owns the countries’ leading brewery
Svyturys-Utenos Alus. The quote was later denied by Carlsberg, stating that ‘Mr
Langeneckert's words were misinterpreted’, and that the group would not withdraw
from Lithuania’.
Surprisingly support for the ban seems to have declined even in the Conservative party,
which has gone on record to state that they support evidence based measures to deal with
the problem of alcohol. Even their election program stated that they want to ban alcohol
advertising. However, a group of 14 members of parliament (mostly from the Conservative
party) have registered an amendment to the Alcohol Control law, that would effectively
remove the upcoming total ban on alcohol advertising. These politicians say that it is not
technologically possible to implement a ban on foreign television stations and the internet.
They also say that the ban will discriminate Lithuanian media compared to Russian media.
According to them Lithuanian television stations will move to other countries. They have also
presented a table with European countries that shows how alcohol advertisement regulation
differs between countries. Yet Norway, with its ban on alcohol advertising is left out of the
table. In an interview on the website of the Nordic Alcohol and Drug Policy Network Aurelijus
Veryga, President of the Lithuanian National Tobacco and Alcohol Control Coalition thinks
that these members of parliament are backed and informed by the alcohol industry.
While a public opinion survey showed that a majority of the general population of Lithuania
supports the idea of total ban, it seems opponents are going all out to turn public opinion
against the ban. Parties from all around society are getting involved in the debate. Aurelijus
Veryga tells of pressure coming from sports associations when beer producers told them that
they will stop supporting basketball if advertising will be restricted. Veryga also tells of
blackmailing during discussions on alcohol advertisement restrictions in 2008 by the former
director general of Lithuanian National Radio and Television who said he would not be able
to translate football matches if this law will be accepted because of Carlsberg advertisements
before every game. Research however found that there weren’t any advertisements from
Carlsberg before the games. Meanwhile the ban is being discussed by journalists in terms of
‘a Taliban-like measure’ and as a measure ‘that suits more an Islamic, not an EU country’.
Meanwhile, the true discussions about the ban seem to have moved behind closed doors.
Journalists were told that this was an internal and not a public discussion. In one case a
debate on the issue was planned in a university, yet a day before the debate the alcohol

2. industry spokesperson withdrew from the debate. A news website removed its message
about the event and contacted the students stating they "received orders from the top to
remove information about the discussion". Not surprisingly the website in question is owned
by a company that also owns the biggest commercial television station of Lithuania as well
as one of the biggest spirits production companies in the country. According to Veryga this is
an example of the way that big media companies systematically block the views of anybody
in support of the ban.
A total ban on alcohol advertising can be an effective measure, especially to protect young
people from the harmful effects of exposure to alcohol advertisements. Research suggests
that exposure to alcohol advertisements can result in an earlier onset of alcohol consumption
as well as increasing the amount of alcohol that is consumed. An overall ban is more
effective than restricting certain contents or the volume of alcohol marketing. A ban on
alcohol marketing is not necessarily in conflict with European law. Furthermore, a ban on
alcohol marketing is in line with the upcoming European Action Plan of the World Health
Organization.
Please contact for more information: Avalon de Bruijn (adebruijn@eucam.info, tel: +31 30 6565 041)
Sources:
http://www.nordan.org/news-events/news-archive/interview-aurelijus-veryga-on-alcohol-ad-ban-in-lithuania
http://www.talkingalcohol.com/index.asp?pageid=78&newsid=3513
http://www.talkingalcohol.com/index.asp?pageid=78&newsid=3522&year=2011
http://www.ejc.net/magazine/article/russian_broadcasters_to_benefit_from_lithuanian_ban_on_alcohol_advertising/