Yearbook 2008
Aland. In January, Å introduced a total ban on the sale
of snuff on Åland ferries, after the EU Commission brought
Finland to the European Court of Justice with a fine of two
million euros in fines. The Åland Ferries' sale of snuff in
Swedish water was considered to violate the EU snuff ban,
despite Sweden having exceptions. The new Åland Prohibition
Act caused the European Commission to close the process in
the spring and reduce the threat of fines.
But the Åland shipowners counted on major financial
losses as snus sales ceased. Eckerö Linjen therefore decided
to switch to the Swedish flag in order to continue to sell
snus on Swedish water. Viking Line also announced that a new
vessel under construction would be registered in Sweden.
Å's Landscape Board appealed to the Government of Finland
to work with the EU to allow snus sales to be permitted on
Swedish water for all vessels regardless of flag. It was
believed that the ban on non-Swedish vessels violated EU
competition law.
The Landskapsstyrelsen appointed a language council that
would monitor that the law on Å's position as monolingual
Swedish landscape is followed. During the year, the Finnish
Ombudsman invited the Finnish government authorities to use
Swedish in their communication with the Åland authorities.
JO had found that this requirement in the Åland Autonomy Act
was not always complied with.
In May, Crown Princess Victoria made the first official
Swedish royal visit to the Å since the landscape gained
autonomy in 1921.
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