Stockholm
Sweden has launched an ad campaign about the evils of alcohol, in an effort to save its tough laws regulating alcohol sales. Swedes can buy alcoholic drinks only in government-owned stores, which have short hours and high prices. The E.U. is moving to order Sweden to scrap that requirement, because it violates E.U. open trade rules. So Sweden is trying to convince European Commission members that its way is better. It is plastering European newspapers with ads titled, “Why you should seriously consider cutting down on drinking.” The ads cite World Health Organization statistics that show Europeans consume twice the world average of alcohol, and have more health problems and medical expenses as a result.
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