EU: Sweden faced EU legal action yesterday for stopping people ordering liquor from abroad outside the state monopoly.
Sweden allows people to bring in as much wine, beer and other drinks as they want, provided they transport it personally.
But they are not allowed to use an intermediary to order drinks, only Systembolaget, the monopoly.
The EU Commission, which makes sure member-states respect the bloc's laws, said the ban contravened EU treaty rules.
"The European Commission has decided to bring Sweden before the European Court of Justice for maintaining a ban on Swedish consumers using independent intermediaries to import alcoholic drinks for their private use into Sweden from other member-states," it said in a statement.
"The Commission believes that the ban represents a disproportionate obstacle to the free movement of goods," it added.
The Commission said liquor purchases from abroad could be allowed so long as people paid Swedish excise duties.
Sweden says the monopoly is justified for health reasons, but it has come under attack before in EU courts.
Systembolaget expressed worries over the Commission's decision.
"Systembolaget and the Swedish government are concerned about these new rules. If they go through it would be very hard for Systembolaget to continue working," said spokesman Mr Lennart Agen.
In 1998, a Swedish grocer lost an EU case after he appealed against his prosecution for selling wine at his grocery shop.
That ruling overturned an opinion issued in 1997 by a senior EU court adviser, which shocked Swedes by saying the state monopoly was not justified. - (Reuters)