Consumers toast defeat of public beer ban
In an unexpected move, Russia’s Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, turned down a bill at the beginning of November that would have restricted the advertising and the sale of beer. 73 members of the Federation Council voted against the bill, which was passed by the Duma in August this year and which would have banned drinking beer in public - on the street, in sports’ stadiums, in parks, on public transport, in schools, and in hospitals. The sale of beer to children younger than 18 would also have been outlawed and a fine of EUR3 imposed on transgressors. The ban was supposed to accompany tough new restrictions on the advertising of beer on television and was due to come into effect in 2005. However, the process is not over yet..
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