Freedom Ranks: Best European Countries To Eat, Drink, Smoke And Vape

Guy Bentley

If you’re heading to Europe and looking to escape nannying rules on smoking, drinking, eating and vaping, the Czech Republic is the place for you.

The Czech Republic is the freest country in Europe when it comes to choices people can make about what, where and when they consume their favorite vices, according to a new freedom index released by the European Policy Information Center (EPICENTER) and the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).

The Nanny State Index ranks all 28 member states of the European Union (EU) by how free their citizens are to eat, drink, smoke and vape. The index is comprised of three categories: alcohol, nicotine, and diet. All the categories are weighted equally at 33.3 percent.

Nicotine is split in two equally weighted subcategories of tobacco and e-cigarettes, each with an equal weighting of 16.6 percent.

EPICENTER judges different policies based on the limit of consumer freedom and scores them accordingly. These policies include raising prices, stigmatizing consumers, restricting choice, inconveniencing consumers, advertising bans and reducing product quality.

These measures all hurt a country’s score on the index. Thanks to taxes on candy, soda, alcohol and tobacco, an outright ban on e-cigarettes and happy hours, Finland has the dubious honor of the being the biggest nanny state in Europe. The UK ranks third due to its exorbitantly high taxes on alcohol and cigarettes.