The Welfare Committee of the Nordic Council, chaired by Icelandic MP Siv Friðleifsdóttir, announced in Helsinki yesterday that they want the Nordic countries to be smoke free by 2040. The committee will also work towards a 10 percent reduction in alcohol consumption in the Nordic countries by 2025, ruv.is reports.

Siv, who represents the Progressive Party in the Icelandic parliament, Alþingi, said the committee hopes to ban the advertising of, and young people’s access to alcohol and tobacco.

“We want the Nordic countries to be smoke free in 2040 and we are also proposing a complete ban on the marketing of alcohol to children and young people,” she said, adding that the committee is also calling for the implementation of so-called alcohol locks on cars, starting with professional drivers and those who have lost their license due to traffic violations.

The Nordic countries comprise of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and the autonomous regions Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland Islands.

Click here for further news of the Nordic Council meeting in Helsinki.

ZR