Prohibition will come into effect in Krakow from July 1. The sale of alcohol will be prohibited in stores throughout the city from midnight to 12:00 p.m. 5:30. The decision was made by councilors on Wednesday.
32 councilors voted for the resolution, no one was against, five councilors abstained from voting, six were absent.
The restriction applies to all outlets selling alcoholic beverages for off-site consumption. So it is about shops, including liquor stores, supermarkets, shops with specialist products, e.g. wine shops, but also petrol stations. Alcohol will continue to be available in restaurants.
When preparing the draft resolution, the city authorities referred to, inter alia, on the Act on Upbringing in Sobriety and Counteracting Alcoholism. Councilors supporting the document pointed to complaints from residents whose peace is disturbed by drunk shoppers, including tourists. Some of them emphasized that the problem mainly concerned the Old Town and Kazimierz. The opponents argued that small shops in districts far from the city center, e.g. in Nowa Huta, could survive thanks to the sale of alcohol. Some councilors felt that the document would not solve the problem.
“I am on the side of the people. But the project defends itself on an +emotional+ level (…). At the intellectual level, there are other possibilities to meet the expectations of the residents” – said independent councilor Wojciech Krzysztonek and pointed out that the police and city guards should guard the night order, and the city office issues licenses for the sale of alcohol and may withdraw these licenses. “We are closing the beach with prohibition. We admit our powerlessness,” said the councilor who abstained from voting.
The complaints of the residents of the city center were discussed by councilor Tomasz Daros (Platforma-Koalicja Obywatelska), and the complaints of residents of the Nowa Huta areas – Michał Drewnicki (PiS). “Solutions in the center do not have to be in other districts,” said Daros. “I have doubts whether the resolution will solve the problem. Targeted actions are often much more effective. I will support the draft resolution +conditionally+, we will check whether it fulfills its function, whether it has improved,” Drewnicki said before the vote.
“I have doubts whether the resolution will solve the problem, but it is a good step” – said Łukasz Maślona (Cracow for Residents club).
Jadwiga, a resident of the Old Town, was convincing to support the resolution. “Our residents are very tired. We can see the degradation of the Old Town,” she said. Mr. Maciej, who had been beaten by drunk men in the past, also appeared at the city council session. As he reported, on the streets of Kazimierz, where he lives, broken gl can be seen in the morning, there are beatings. “Time. 23 on Friday in Kazimierz – it is unacceptable what is happening there then when it comes to the law related to disturbing the peace, “he said. In his opinion, it is not shops that are the main cause of disturbing the peace, but dining establishments, where more customers come and it is louder. The resident fears that if retail stores are closed, even more noisy clubs will be built in their place.
Actress Alina Kamińska, a resident of Kazimierz, encouraged people to vote for prohibition. that the city cleans up after drunk residents and tourists with taxpayers’ money. The resolution was supported by Krakow Merchant Congregation.
Borough councils are divided over restrictions on night-time alcohol sales. Eight essed the draft resolution negatively (Stare Miasto, Grzegórzki, Prądnik Biały, Krowodrza, Bronowice, Dębniki, Podgórze Duchackie,mistrzejowice), five positively (Prądnik Czerwony, Zwierzyniec, Łagiewniki-Borek Fałęcki, Podgórze, Wzgórza Krzesławickie), five did not take a position ( Swoszowice, Bieżanów-Prokocim, Czyżyny, Bieńczyce, Nowa Huta).
At the end of 2022, in the NCU survey, almost 54 percent residents were in favor of limiting the sale of alcohol at night, the rest were against. At the same time, the NCU also commissioned a research group from Warsaw to conduct a public opinion survey of the inhabitants. 1.1 thousand people participated in this survey. people. More than 47 percent supported the restriction. of them, over 42% were against, the rest were undecided.
The night prohibition applies, among others, to: in Katowice, Poznań, Wrocław, Zakopane, Skawina.
“The experience of other cities shows that the introduction of this type of regulation results in a significant decrease in interventions related to disturbing public order at night and an improvement in the living conditions of residents” – Tomasz Popiołek, director of the Department of Administrative Affairs of the Nicolaus Copernicus University argued on Wednesday.
The restriction of night-time alcohol sales was already in force in the city from September 2019 to April 2020. It was an agreement between the city and 154 entrepreneurs running shops, hypermarkets and gas stations did not join it. Due to the pandemic and the difficult economic situation of entrepreneurs, that social contract was suspended.
In Kraków, there are approx. 4,000 retail stores. permits for the sale of alcohol, and in gastronomy about 3.8 thousand. permits. Estimated inflows to the city budget on this account this year will reach at least PLN 25 million. Voluntary declarations of entrepreneurs show that 24-hour retail sale of alcohol is conducted by about 300 points, which is about 20 percent. total number of retail outlets. In 2022, the share of retail sales of alcohol in stores in the total value of alcohol sales in Kraków amounted to approx. 68%. There is no information on the value of alcohol sales in individual hours.
Restrictions on the hours of sale of alcoholic beverages apply, among others. in the cities of Ireland, Portugal, Lithuania, Slovenia, Estonia, Sweden, Spain, Finland, Latvia, Norway. (PAP)
author: Beata Kolodziej
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