Denmark battles to keep its ban on canned drinks

Date: 17/04/1997

By Ole Ryborg

DENMARK is standing its ground in a battle with the European Commission over its ban on selling drinks in cans rather than bottles.

The issue has sparked a bitter clash between two old adversaries - Environment Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard and Danish Environment Minister Svend Auken - with the former capturing headlines once again in her native country.

This time, the quarrel between Bjerregaard and Auken centres on the classic green bottles

used for famous drinks such as Carlsberg or Tuborg lager, seen by most Danes as a part of their country's national heritage.

On behalf of the Commission, Bjerregaard recently sent Copenhagen an 'opening statement' - the first step on the way to legal action in the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg - challenging its long-time ban on the use of cans for beverages.

The Danish government justifies the ban on environmental grounds, since Denmark has a system for recycling bottles.

Shoppers pay a levy of about 0.1 ecu on every bottle of drink they buy and this is refunded when the bottles are returned. They are then collected by drinks firms, which clean and recycle them.

But after complaints from France, the Commission has warned Copenhagen that the can ban is a barrier to trade not justified on environmental grounds.

Ironically, Auken's arguments for keeping the ban are undermined by Denmark's neighbour Sweden, a front runner in environmental policy.

Auken claims that allowing cans on to the Danish market would undermine the present system of recycling bottles. But Sweden has had a system for recycling aluminium cans and bottles in place for several years. More than 80&percent; of all cans bought in Sweden are recycled, as are bottles made of both glass and plastic.

However, Auken appears unwilling to take the lessons of the Swedish experience into account. Instead, he has asked ministry officials to update an existing report on the issue which spells out the Danish arguments for retaining the can ban.