G/TBT/N/LTU/34  
 
18 December 2018  
(18-7999) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member: LITHUANIA   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  
Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania, Vilniaus str. 33, LT -01506 Vilnius, 
Lithuania, tel. +370 5 2661402, e -mail ministerija@sam.lt , http://sam.lrv.lt/  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if diff erent from above:   
EC TBT Enquiry Point: ec-tbt@cec.eu.int   
National TBT Enquiry Point: enquiry@lsd.lt   
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [  ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Food 
products in general (ICS 67.040), Non -alcoholic beverages (ICS 67.160.20), Toys 
(ICS 97.200.50).  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Draft Law on 
Alcohol Control of the Republic of Lithuania No. I -857 on Amendment of Article 28, 
No. XIIIP-1666(2) (1 page(s), in English; 1 page(s), in Lit huanian)   
6. Description of cont ent: It is prohibited in Republic of Lithuania for undertakings, 
European legal persons and their affiliates in the Republic of Lithuania to produce and/or 
sell food products, toys and other goods for children and adolescents whose designs 
imitate alcoholi c beverages and/or their packaging.  
According to Art. 2 of the Law on Alcohol Control of the Republic of Lithuania:  
14. European legal person  means a legal person or any other organisation established in 
a party to the Agreement on the European Economic Ar ea (except the Republic of 
Lithuania).  
15. Undertaking  means a legal person established in the Republic of Lithuania, a branch 
of a foreign legal person established in the Republic of Lithuania in accordance with the 
procedure laid down by the law.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable: Aim of the regulation is:  
Studies show that alcohol advertising generates a favo urable attitude of children towards 
alcohol consumption, strengthens the intention to consume  alcohol in adolescents, 
encourages young people to consume alcohol more often and in larger quantities, 
significantly increases the consumption of adolescents and the harm caused. Products on 
the market targeted directly for children and adolescents in sh ape of alcoholic beverages G/TBT/N/LTU/34  
 
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  and their packaging promote a culture of alcohol consumption, normalize/socialize 
behaviour of alcohol consumption. Minister of health, prof. and psychiatrist Aurelijus 
Veryga says: "Children's champagne" is a drink that forms th e tradition that celebrating 
is usually accomp anied by using of alcoholic beverages". At the same time, the state has 
to invest money and human resources in various alcohol prevention and harm reduction 
programs.  
The proposed regulation is analogous to th e prohibition of the production and sale of 
sweets, snacks, toys or any other objects in the form of tobacco products which appeal 
to minors , which is set out by the World Health Organization Framework Convention on 
Tobacco Control (Art. 16, 1(c) and which  is successfully applied by many parties to the 
Convention (including Lithuania) for several years.  
According to international studies HBSC, ESPAD, Lithuanian children are among earliest 
to begin drink ing alcohol, according OECD report "Lithuania. Health P rofile 2017", fifteen  
year olds ' harmful drinking in Lithuania is  particularly high among other countries and is 
important challenge to be tackled in Lithuania.  
The proposed regulation neither impose s significant restrictions on business or impede s 
the free movement of goods, since the market share of such goods is insignificant to 
business, but is a step towards development of a socially responsible business and is 
proportionate to its aim of protecting the health of the particularly vulnerable par t of 
society - children and young people, thus is contributing to development of  the country's 
social and economic well -being.  
8. Relevant documents:   
• https://e -
seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/a46265d0752211e8a76a9c274644efa9?jfwid
=iwhzpt9a9   
9. Proposed date of adoption:  Not specified  
Proposed date of entry into force: Proposed date of entry into force 1  May 2019  
10. Final date for comments: 60 days from notification  
11. Texts available from: National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:   
enquiry@lsd.lt  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2018/TBT/LTU/18_6468_00_e.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2018/TBT/LTU/18_6468_00_x.pdf