Plans to crack down on alcohol abuse among youngsters by raising the legal drinking age have not gone down well with Italian bar and restaurant owners .
The new measures, contained in the centre-left government's 2007 budget, lift the legal age for purchasing alcohol from 16 to 18 .
Those caught selling drink to under-18s face fines ranging from 3,000 to 6,000 euros .
Retailers' associations blasted the measures, saying it was unfair to make managers of bars and eateries responsible for implementing the clampdown and exposing them to hefty fines if they failed to do so .
"How are they supposed to ask kids for their ID? They're not policemen and shouldn't be expected to act like them," said the Confcommercio retailers' federation .
The Confesercenti association of shops and small businesses argued that the ban was pointless since there was nothing to prevent minors getting adults to buy alcohol on their behalf .
It said a prohibitionist approach was counterproductive and that other policies would be much more effective at reducing teenage drinking, such as limiting ads targeting underage drinkers .
The centre-left government, however, defended the plan, which also includes a total ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages in motorway roadside shops and restaurants .
Health Minister Livia Turco said that "these restrictions bring us in line with the rest of the European Union" .
Most European countries prevent the sale of alcohol to under-18s except for France and Germany, where the legal drinking age remains 16 .
"We will follow up this initiative with specific measures aimed at making kids understand how important it is to lead a healthy life," Turco said .
"Let's not forget that most road accidents are caused by too much alcohol," she said .
Club owners and managers took the minister's side .
SILB, a union representing 95% of nightclubs and dance halls, said that "we are in favour of taking a tough line on teenage drinking... We are all for any measures which aim to protect youngers" .
"We hope the new norms allow us to ask for ID and that they are properly applied," the union added .
But some members of the government, particularly hard-leftists and MPs with the Green party, joined the criticism of the prohibitionist approach .
Green lawmaker Paolo Cento said that "banning alcohol for under-18s is an act of prohibition which is likely to have the opposite effect - encouraging youngsters to drink just because it's forbidden" .
The Communist Refoundation Party complained that the ban had "dropped from the sky" and that the government had failed to consult experts and businesses which trade in alcohol before taking its decision .
Experts also warned the government not to expect too much from the new norms .
"There is a risk they will fuel transgressive behaviour. The rules will be difficult to apply. Is it really feasible to try and stop 17-year-olds having a beer with their pizza?", said a scientific committee concerned with monitoring alcohol abuse among minors .
According to the statistics, Italians start drinking at a much earlier age than other Europeans - at 11 and 12 compared to a European average of 14 .
Some 800,000 minors drink excessively and 200 die every year through drunk driving .
In general, 40% of all serious road accidents in Italy are linked to alcohol consumption and 50% of people stopped after an accident are over the limit .
But breathalysing is still relatively uncommon. Between 2002-2004, 3% of Italian motorists were breathalysed compared to an EU average of 16% .
