Estonia is planning to prohibit the night-time sale of alcohol across the country.
On Wednesday, Estonia’s Minister of Economy and Communication Juhan Parts passed a draft proposal for official comments, stating that in the future the sale of alcohol would be prohibited in the entire country between 11:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., excluding bars and restaurants.
Currently, all Estonian cities and municipalities are allowed to make their own individual decisions on the opening hours for the sale of alcohol in shops. During the summer the practice led to a curious domestic "booze tourism", when people travelled to buy alcohol at night to a neighbouring municipality with more liberal selling regulations.
For example, since August it has not been possible to buy alcohol at any stores in Tallinn after 8:00 p.m.
The largest opposition party in Estonia, the Centre Party of Estonia, is now calling for an overall ban starting from 8:00 p.m. in the entire country.
