Macedonia to Lift Nighttime Ban on Liquor Sales

To the delight of both liquor lovers and producers, Macedonian stores shelves lined with bottles of beer, wines and spirits will no longer be off limits during the evening and night hours.

Government-proposed changes to the Law on Trade, aimed at lifting the ten-year ban on selling alcohol in retail stores after 7pm year round, and after 9pm in summer, are soon to be put to a vote in parliament, where they are likely to pass.

The abolition of this provision, introduced by the previous government under Nikola Gruevski in 2008, comes on the initiative of the Macedonian Chamber of Commerce and of the association of wine producers, Wines of Macedonia.

The Economy Ministry said it supported the change and had "no proof that the ban", initially aimed at curbing youth drinking and traffic accidents, "had influenced any possible decrease in alcoholism in Macedonia whatever".

The national wine association said the ban had damaged the wine industry, which accounts for 20 per cent of the country's agricultural-based earnings.

"Although Macedonian wine is a leading brand and the country describes itself as a leading wine destination, domestic consumption counts for only 9 per cent of our production. Domestic consumption dropped by 10 per cent after the ban was introduced, which affected the income of wineries and their ability to purchase grapes from farmers," the association said.

They estimate that this branch of agriculture involves some 30,000 farmers, 12,000 seasonal workers and some 2,000 other employees in the country.

Many people in the capital, Skopje, told BIRN that they supported lifting the curfew.

"It only creates trouble when you want to buy something and you can't because you are five...