David --
   She was director of Systembolaget before the PM and she became an "item", and they eventually publicly moved in together. Then they got married (not so common, these days, in Sweden) just before the Nobel banquest last December, whcih allowed them to sit at the same table there....  Sweden is a small society.
   I haven't read Carlsson's article, but the corruption really threatens the monopoly, since it is only tolerated by the EU on the condition that it treats all comers (domestic and foreign) equitably.  The settlement which continued the system even in the EU requires that Sweden fund a fulltime position in its national auditing office just to monitor and file regular reports on this issue.
   The list of wholesalers who have been named as bribing the store managers (almost 100 of them are implicated) about product placement, etc, has now reached 21.  Apart from Carlsberg (biggest brewer in the Nordic countries) and a number of small fry, it includes the large wholly state-owned company which makes Absolut.  So an agency of the Swedish government has been bribing functionaries of another branch of the government.
   On the other hand, if state ownership were not involved, the relatively petty bribes involved (golf trips, etc.) would not be illegal, indeed would be seen as part of good business -- although Safeway might be annoyed if the product placement fee were going to the store manager rather than to the company's accounts.
     Robin

-----Original Message-----
From: Alcohol and Temperance History Group
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of David Fahey
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 11:48 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Sweden's Systembolaget


There is a short article, "Corruption Affair Challenges Swedish Retail
Monopoly," in Globe issue 4 2003 (page 13), by Sevn-Olov Carlsson
(president IOGT-NTO).  The managing director of Systembolaget happens to be
the prime minister's wife.