ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes the process of European integration and the processes that brought the European Economic Area Agreement into force in Finland, Norway, and Sweden in 1994. It discusses the reasons why Finland and Sweden became members of the European Union in 1995, but not Norway. The book presents the history of alcohol control in each country and the latest changes in those control systems. It explains the structure of alcohol production and the developments in the number of alcohol producers and the structure of wholesaling and importing alcoholic beverages. The book provides a description of both the developments in the physical availability of alcoholic beverages in the 1980s and 1990s and the dramatic changes in the national systems of production, distribution, and retail sale. It analyses the varied interests different actors in the alcohol field have regarding future alcohol control policies.
