MP Erik Ziengs (Liberal Party) will shortly introduce a members bill to change the current Alcohol Licensing and Catering Act. Dutch Institute for Alcohol Policy STAP laid a hand on the text of the bill.
If the bill will be adopted, mildly alcoholic beverages as beer, wine and low alcohol content spirits can be sold off premise without licence everywhere (even on the street).
Furthermore, the bill of Ziengs makes it possible that every retailer can ask for a licence to serve alcoholic beverages in his shop, even spirits like whiskey and vodka.
Cafés and bars will be allowed to sell mildly alcoholic beverages (off premise) and liquor stores may serve alcohol (on premise) and are allowed to function as shop, post office or ticket shop.
The current Licensing and Catering Act has rules on the floor area, height and the presence of toilets. All these rules will be expired, causing many tiny bars, as you see them for example, in some developing countries.
Wim van Dalen, director of STAP: “The proposal of Ziengs denies the interests of public health, the effect will be that alcohol become more accessible for young and old, it will be more an everyday product. The bill will inevitably lead to a dramatic increase in alcohol problems in the Netherlands. “
Source: http://www.stap.nl/en/news/ (in English) and http://www.stap.nl/nl/nieuws/persberichten.html/3490/5614/vvd-wil-alle-remmen-losgooien-bij-alcoholverkoop#p3490 (in Dutch)