EU say Swedish ban on private import of alcohol is wrong

The Court of Justice of the European Union today released their decision that Sweden can not ban private import of alcohol (article in SvD in Swedish).

Updated: I have got a comment that not only corrects my text, but also clarifies what really has happened. I thank for the comment, and urge people to read the comment.

Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-170/04 Klas Rosengren and Others v. Riksåklagaren THE PROHIBITION OF THE IMPORTATION INTO SWEDEN OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES BY PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS AMOUNTS TO AN UNJUSTIFIED QUANTITATIVE RESTRICTION ON THE FREE MOVEMENT OF GOODS That measure is inappropriate for attaining the objective of limiting alcohol consumption generally and is not proportionate for attaining the objective of protecting young persons from the harmful effects of alcohol

And conclusion:

Consequently, the fact that private individuals are prohibited from importing alcoholic beverages amounts to a quantitative restriction on the free movement of goods.

(The bold text is bold in the press release.)

The full text of the judgement may be found on the Court’s internet site.