The State Duma proposed giving regions the right to ban “nalivaikas”

A group of State Duma deputies and senators submitted to the State Duma billgranting regional authorities the right to restrict the sale of low-alcohol products in public catering establishments located in apartment buildings.

According to current legislation, retail sale of alcohol and retail sale of alcohol in the provision of public catering services are different types of activities that require separate licenses. However, a separate license is not required for the sale of low-alcohol products.

The authors propose to give regional authorities the following rights:

• prohibit the retail sale of beer, beer drinks, cider, and mead “in the same place as the retail sale of such products in the provision of public catering services,” including in apartment buildings and in adjacent areas;
• limit the hours of retail sale of alcoholic beverages in catering establishments located in apartment buildings;
• introduce a requirement for the retail sale of low-alcohol products only in restaurants, bars, cafes and buffets.

The explanatory note to the bill states that in the regions of Russia, “under the guise of providing public catering services,” alcoholic beverages are sold around the clock. According to the authors of the bill, this leads to a violation of public order, in particular in the courtyards of apartment buildings.

As the authors of the initiative note, in Moscow, out of 2.2 thousand catering establishments located in apartment buildings, only 70 have licenses for the sale of alcohol, “the rest are engaged in the retail sale of beer, beer drinks, cider, poiret, mead, which is not licensed.”

Lusine Balasyan