As the republic's chief prosecutor Matti Kuusimäki says, this takes an extremely long time - after all, drunkenness has become almost a national trait of Finns. In this regard, the prosecutor is even ready to change judicial practice. For example, he proposes that in cases not aggravated by serious consequences, a judge should impose punishment without hearing the case in a courtroom. This would, in his conviction, significantly ease the excessive burden on district courts and speed up the consideration of other cases.
Meanwhile, Finns are unlikely to drink less. Quite the opposite: Finnish authorities are apprehensively awaiting the liberalization of the country's alcohol market. Currently, alcohol in Finland is much more expensive than in other EU countries - and this has turned alcohol into a sort of "forbidden fruit". Now Finns travel abroad to get drunk on vacation. For example, Estonia (the nearest EU country where alcohol is cheap) was visited by 7 million tourists from Finland last year. From 2004, when such efforts from residents of Suomi will not be required, alcohol consumption will rise to almost our level. According to experts, Finns will drink up to 12 liters per year in terms of pure alcohol.
According to the chief prosecutor, the Ministry of Justice is now looking for other ways to distribute cases heard by ordinary courts. For instance, the Ministry of Justice's committee on improving the judicial system is considering the possibility of relieving district courts from hearing a whole range of routine civil cases. Finnish lawyers include, in particular, divorces, violations related to real estate registration, and lawsuits for collection of undisputed debts.