JUST DRINKS
June 1st, 2002
From Alan Osborn
The European Commission has ordered Germany to stop blocking the
sale of the Austrian drink Original Schwedenbitter by claiming it to be a
medicinal product which requires special authorisation.
Original Schwedenbitter is sold in Austria without restriction as a
herb-based alcoholic beverage but is traditionally bought in Germany as a
cure for several illnesses. The Commission says that the drink is
comparable with other spirits - i.e. not a medicine - and the German ban
violates rules covering the free movement of goods.
The European Commission has ordered Germany to stop blocking the
sale of the Austrian drink Original Schwedenbitter by claiming it to be a
medicinal product which requires special authorisation.
Original Schwedenbitter is sold in Austria without restriction as a
herb-based alcoholic beverage but is traditionally bought in Germany as a
cure for several illnesses. The Commission says that the drink is
comparable with other spirits - i.e. not a medicine - and the German ban
violates rules covering the free movement of goods.
Full access to this article can be arranged with permission from the client that first ordered it. Please contact us to request access. Entries are uploaded to our archive at least one year after being published by a client – free access is restricted to International News Services journalists for background research only. The article date indicates when copy was filed to a client, not when posted to this archive. Upon client requests, International News Services will remove such articles from the archive or not upload them in the first place. They are included to demonstrate the breadth of topics undertaken by the agency and also to help promote clients’ coverage.