Finnish alcohol delivery law pulled from parliament agenda

A proposal to legalise the remote sale and home delivery of alcohol in Finland was unexpectedly removed from parliament’s plenary agenda on Wednesday, Yle reports.

SDP MP Johanna Ojala-Niemelä had requested the delay, arguing that the committee’s amendments diverged significantly from the government’s original proposal and required EU notification before proceeding.

The social affairs and health committee, chaired by SDP’s Krista Kiuru, had tightened the draft law, including setting the same alcohol content limits for cross-border remote sales as domestic retail and banning rapid deliveries. The committee’s majority was secured after Christian Democrat Päivi Räsänen sided with the opposition.

Preventive substance abuse organisation Ehyt also called for EU notification of the changes and confirmed it had contacted the Commission.

Ojala-Niemelä insisted that unnotified proposals should not reach the plenary, and the delay gives opponents more time to push for further revisions.