ABSTRACT
The basic elements of any national alcohol system can best be described in terms of function, and a single organisation can have one or more functions. The national system company, Systembolaget, was formed by the merger of all local off-premise alcohol monopolies. The structure of alcohol production, import, export, wholesale, and retail sale has dramatically changed for Finland, Norway, and Sweden since the European Economic Area Agreement. The structure of national alcohol systems is a mixture of the state, private individuals, and corporations engaging in production, import, export, wholesale, and retail sale of all alcoholic beverages. After 1955, the restructured alcohol control system in Sweden continued the historical principle of limiting the private profit motive in the sale of alcoholic beverages. Before European Union membership, the retail sale of spirits, wine, strong beer, and beer with an alcohol content of more than 3.5 percent by volume continued to be sold in the state alcohol monopoly stores.
