To limit the excessive alcoholism of young people, the Senate adopted an amendment aimed at regulating the prices offered during happy hours in bars.
Happy hours, senators no longer want them. Usually practiced at the end of the day, happy hours, or “happy hours”, consist in reducing the prices of alcoholic beverages for a few hours. These more advantageous prices would promote the phenomena of excessive alcoholism or “binge drinking” among young people, according to the senators, who wish to limit risky behavior.
As part of the health bill, elected officials adopted on Wednesday an amendment aiming to regulate “these commercial practices by fixing a floor selling price calculated by the application of an authorized discount rate or displayed unit selling price, this discount rate being fixed by decree”, explained the socialist senator Franck Montaugé in the hemicycle. Thus, if the promotional rate is set at 20%, a cocktail usually displayed at 8 euros would cost 6.40 euros.
The government does not believe it
For the Minister of Health, questioned this morning on RTL, this type of measure does not fall under the jurisdiction of the law. “Can we set a price for the whole of France which would like a glass of alcohol to have the same price in the center of Paris and in a provincial town? I don’t think so, ”she retorted. On the other hand, she believes that the law currently being examined by the senators – adopted on first reading by the National Assembly – is able to prevent risky behavior, in particular among young people.
Lawmakers have already tried to regulate the attractive prices offered by bars during happy hours. In 2009, the “Hospital, patients, health, territory” law, better known as the Bachelot law, proposed the sale of fruit juices and other sodas at half price during this period. In the end, the then Minister of Health gave it up.
The solemn vote of senators will take place on October 6. But the last word will go to the deputies.
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