The legal age to buy and consume alcoholic beverages was raised from 16 to 18 in 2014. The sale of alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 18 is prohibited, the purchase of alcoholic beverages for another person under the age of 18 is also prohibited. Amsterdam is considered a paradise for many forbidden habits. Drinking doesn`t seem to be one of them. For countries where the legal age is 21, all of Europe is an amusement park, but Amsterdam`s alcohol regulations are properly updated and controlled. Road safety is the responsibility of the Minister of Infrastructure and Environment. In the Netherlands, the legal limit for drivers is a blood alcohol level of 0.5 per thousand. Novice drivers (people who obtained their driver`s license less than five years ago) must not have a blood alcohol level higher than 0.2 per thousand. This blood alcohol level also applies to persons under the age of 24 and, since July 2017, to all drivers who have consumed alcohol in combination with illicit drugs. In the Netherlands, random testing is allowed. In the Netherlands, there are three rehabilitation courses for road users who have committed drunk driving: EMA (Educational Measure Alcohol and Traffic), LEMA (Light Version of EMA) and EMG (Educational Measure Behaviour and Traffic). 1. EMA (Educational Measure Alcohol and Traffic) is a three-day course for people who have participated in traffic with a blood alcohol level between 1.3 per thousand and 1.8 per thousand.

2. LEMA (Light Educational Measure Alcohol and Traffic) consists of two half-days of 3.5 hours each. LEMA is intended for novice drivers with a blood alcohol level between 0.5 per thousand and 0.8 per thousand. 3. EMG (Educational Measure Behaviour and Traffic) is aimed at drivers who have repeatedly shown undesirable driving behaviour during a journey. Even in the case of serious speeding, a driver can be referred to EMG. In December 2011, the Netherlands launched a breathalyzer interlock program for experienced drivers with a blood alcohol level between 1.3 per thousand and 1.8 per thousand and for novice drivers with a blood alcohol level between 1.0 per thousand and 1.8 per thousand. The government decided to stop the program in September 2016 due to numerous legal and technical issues.

Parliament wishes to reconsider this decision. But the ministers involved remain steadfast. Age of identification The Alcohol Act does not mention an age of identification. However, supermarkets (united in the Central Office of Food Trade) and part of gastronomy (united in Koninklijke Horeca Nederland) have decided to maintain an age of identification for alcohol and tobacco of 25 years. In practice, this means that supermarket cashiers and bar staff at KHN catering establishments ask customers they think look like they are under 25 for their ID card. These supermarkets and catering establishments also ask their customers under 25 years of age to spontaneously present their ID. Non-alcoholic gastronomy The licensing system of the Liquor Act does not apply to the operation of non-alcoholic catering establishments. A licence under the Liquor Act is only required if you want to sell alcoholic beverages (more than 0.5% alcohol). Private parties The licensing system also does not apply when it comes to serving alcohol at private parties. This is the case if the organizer has a non-commercial relationship with the guests invited by him. In addition, guests do not pay the entrance and receive their drinks for free. Opening hours catering The law on alcohol does not contain any regulations on the opening hours of gastronomy.

The determination of these hours is the responsibility of municipalities under the Municipal Act. The Liquor Act only requires municipalities to set hours of service in semi-commercial canteens in a local ordinance. Provisions relating to production, import and export The Alcohol Act does not contain any national legislation on the production, import or export of alcoholic beverages. This does not mean that nothing has been agreed on this point, quite the contrary. In addition to the general food legislation, there are also specific Dutch and European product regulations applicable to manufacturers of alcoholic beverages. Excise legislation states that consumers may produce beer and wine for their own use. For the commercial production of beer and/or wine, you need a license. Individuals may not have a still image.

You need a manufacturing license. Companies that wish to store untaxed alcoholic beverages need a storage license. Mandatory provision of product information Since 1993, beverages containing more than 1.2% alcohol must be labelled with the alcohol content. Allergen reporting has been mandatory since 2005. These regulations are also not governed by the Liquor and Liquor Act, but by decisions based on the Goods Act. These are the harmonised rules of the European Union. The basis for these obligations has been in place since March 13. December 2014 the European Regulation on the provision of food information to consumers (1169/2011). These regulations include an exemption for alcoholic beverages over 1.2% vol., as neither ingredients nor nutritional values are required. This strange exemption for alcoholic beverages has been talked about for a long time. Many want to get rid of it, but some sectors of the alcohol industry are clinging to self-regulatory systems. It now appears that the new European Commission no longer wants to maintain the exemption for the alcohol sector.

One of the proposals of the European plan to fight cancer is therefore to make ingredients and nutritional values mandatory on the labels of alcoholic beverages by 2022. Warning logos In the Netherlands, labels with general or specific health warnings are not mandatory. But due to self-regulation, 89% of bottles have an alcohol and pregnancy symbol. Unfortunately, these are very small and difficult to see. The European Commission`s European Cancer Plan proposes, among other things, to make health warnings on alcoholic beverages mandatory by 2023. If a company or entrepreneur violates the legal provisions of the Alcohol Act, criminal proceedings may be instituted on the basis of the Economic Crimes Act. This occurs in the case of serious offences and violations of paragraphs 4 and 5 of Article 20 and Article 21 of the Law on Alcohol. Much more often, however, a fine is imposed if the alcohol law is violated. The mayor and the Minister may impose such an administrative penalty. The amount of the fine is set out in the Alcohol Decree. Inspections on behalf of the Mayor are conducted by Special Municipal Enforcement Officers (SOOS). Inspections carried out on behalf of the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport are carried out by enforcement officers of the Dutch Food Safety and Consumer Authority (NVWA).