Denmark removes ban on beer in cans - Brief Article

Modern Brewery Age, Jan 28, 2002

Under pressure from European Union officials to comply with common packaging rules, Denmark's new government announced plans Monday to remove a 20-year-old ban on selling beers and soft drinks in metal.

The Commission, the EU's executive body, has threatened legal action against Denmark over the ban--introduced on Jan. 1, l982--citing an EU requirement that individual member countries cannot block the marketing of packaging that has been deemed acceptable across the 15-nation bloc.

Danish supermarket groups and beverage producers also had demanded the introduction of cans, which are cheaper and easier to produce and handle. Opponents also argued that the ban only applied to drinks containing carbon dioxide but not fruit juice and that Danes could buy canned beer in neighboring Germany, which has lower taxes on food and drinks.

Earlier governments had refused to lift the ban, claiming that it forced producers to use refillable and reusable bottles instead of metal cans that could mar the environment if not recycled.

Environment Minister Hans Christian Schmidt said the decision to lift the ban as of Jan. 23 was made because "cans can be introduced in a responsible way with a deposit system where they are being recycled."

Consumers will pay a refundable 18 cent deposit for cans produced in Denmark. No deposit refund will be paid for cans bought outside Denmark.

The Danish Brewers' Association and the Federation of Retail Grocers will invest $30 million to adapt automatic recycling machines in some 2,000 supermarkets by June 1.

Schmidt said he had written to inform the EU Environment Commissioner about the decision and had asked for cancellation of the case against Denmark before the European Court of Justice.