When will be able to buy good wine online?

Currently, alcohol is one of the few products, which cannot be sold through e-commerce channels in Poland. This is due to the provisions of the act on upbringing in sobriety, which allows for the sales of alcoholic beverages only in places which have a special licence.

Relic of a bygone era

- The act dates back to the 1980s, when hardly anyone had heard about the internet, not to mention online shopping - commented Aneta Jóźwicka, director for corporate relations in Northern Europe at Diageo Polska and chairwoman of the social responsibility committee of the Association of Employers Polish Spirits Industry during the debate “Online sales of alcohol. Popular, but prohibited”.

- This is yet another absurd in Poland, which the industry has been fighting against for years. It is necessary to regulate this issue, as the situation does not reflect the contemporary era, and certainly not the current pandemic situation. E-commerce is becoming an increasingly important sales channel. Rsearch indicates that an increasing number of customers are shifting from conventional stationary shops to online shopping platforms. Meanwhile, Poland is one of the few countries in Europe where customers cannot add any alcohol to their shopping basket - comments Director Jóźwicka.

The other two countries that prohibit online sales of alcohol are Finland and Russia.

Draft bill on the table

The industry is calling for a change in the regulations. - This would not only mean greater convenience for the consumers but, above all, would enable the development of small-scale producers who cannot afford to build their own large distribution networks or enter into agreements with retail chains. Going online would allow local wineries and craft breweries to reach a wider range of consumers with their offer and gain new customers. This would be an extremely important factor for their development - stressed Director Jóźwicka.

A draft bill has been prepared and submitted to the Sejm, but it has been waiting to be discussed for the past 1.5 years. - I hope that it will convince the MPs to the idea and it will be passed soon. This is all the more important now, during the pandemic, when a lot of producers of wine or higher quality alcoholic beverages have had their main distribution channels cut off, since restaurants has practically been closed, and they have incurred great losses - observed Jacek Tomczak, member of the PSL parliamentary club. He stressed that regulating this issue is indispensable, considering that Polish consumers can buy foreign and Polish spirits on foreign online websites, but they cannot buy the same products in Polish online shops. This is a gateway to the grey market.

The main obstacle to legalising the online sales of alcohol is the conviction, shared also by the Ministry of Health, that such a measure would lead to the promotion of excessive alcohol consumption. The panellists argued that this was a misconception. - It is worth to emphasise that cheap alcohol is not bought online on impulse, just to get drunk. On the contrary, online shoppers are looking for more sophisticated alcoholic beverages and have to wait at least a day for their delivery. This has nothing to do with promoting alcoholism - argued Mr Tomczak.

- It is not the possibility to shop online that promotes excessive alcohol consumption, but unfair excise duty rates on various types of alcohol which make beer cheaper than water or fruit juices - emphasised Jarosław Sachajko, member of the Kukiz'15 parliamentary club. - It is preposterous that beer can be advertised, often through references to sports and recreation. This is unacceptable - argued the MP.

“No” to alcohol sales to minors

Members of the Kukiz'15 parliamentary club have added a draft of changes to the excise tax and rules of advertising alcohol in addition to the draft bill concerning online sales of alcohol. - All these issues must be considered under a single package of changes, counteracting the excessive consumption of alcohol in Poland - Mr Sachajko emphasised.

An important argument that comes up in discussions is the anonymity of online users, which technically makes it possible for minors to purchase alcohol on the Internet. - Nobody is anonymous on the Internet - stressed Arkadiusz Kawa, director of the Logistics and Warehousing Institute at the Łukasiewicz Research Network.

- You can't hide anything online, our analyses provide for four ways to easily and effectively identify a buyer and check whether a child is not posing as a customer. Kawa.