Alcohol, Estonia, Financial Services, Health, Legislation, Markets and Companies

Kruuse said in an interview to national television ETV's morning programme, that what the city of Tallinn is doing is in this sphere now is just a fraction of the Green Paper, which the government has confirmed. "The current government has said very clearly, through the excise duty increases, about alcohol and vices that we cannot tolerate it," said Kruuse.

The question of whether Tallinn is on the right track when restricting the availability of alcohol, with its plans to ban alcohol sale on Sundays and in small shops, the minister responded that in his opinion the capital city pursues more politics, not so much the alcohol policy on this issue. "Just recently we saw them put up signs that indicated where alcohol could be consumed," he said as an example.

At the same time, he acknowledged the existence of problems: control purchases and studies show that small shops have the biggest problem selling alcohol to minors. On the other hand, alcohol sales ban on these shops means that the ships could close and local people would be deprived of the opposability of buying milk and bread too.

"The state has taken very strong steps too. One very important change is that during the next EU funding period, we allocate 10 million euros to fight against alcoholism and addiction, plan rehabilitation of these people too," said Kruuse.