The Finance Ministry expects this will pour an additional EUR 11.1m a year into the budget.

The excise duties on alcohol last changed in July 2010. The law allows the government to raise the duties by up to a half.

Duties on cigarettes are also scheduled to go up from EUR 83 to EUR 86 per 1,000 cigarettes as of 1 April. A pack of the most popular cigarettes will be ten cents dearer on the average.

The next hike is planned for 1 October, when the duties on cigarettes are to reach at least EUR 90.