BRUSSELS - Public health, one of Sweden’s holiest cows, is being put aside as politicians fight to get the banned Swedish tobacco "snus" on sale in the EU.

The Swedish word “folkhälsa” is an expression that has played a major part in Swedish politics for a long time. The word, which means public health, is commonly used by our politicians regardless of party belonging and it's a principle on which many political decisions have been and are still being made.

The principle of folkhälsa is basically based on the assumption that we Swedes cannot really take care of ourselves and that we therefore need to be protected from things that could possibly damage our health. From a business perspective this means that many products are consequently regulated and controlled by the state. That is the reason for why cigarettes cost a small fortune in Sweden, that it only exists one type of liquor store with limited opening hours and that there's a state monopoly on gambling and so forth. By the very same principle, Sweden was the second last European country, after Albania, to get free radio, in 1993.

This people's protection policy sometimes makes it difficult – or even impossible – for foreign and private companies to compete on the Swedish market, which has led to that the European Commission has been questioning the governments' politics on the basis that the Swedish laws may not be in accordance with the competition rules of the EU's internal market. Though, so far the importance of the public health still stands strong in the Swedish politics.

However, when it comes to a certain Swedish product, that according to studies have a negative impact on your health and hence is illegal to sell within the EU (Sweden excepted), the government's politics is somewhat different. It concerns the Swedish snuff, a moist powder tobacco product that you consume by placing it under the lip.

The Swedish minister of commerce, Ewa Björling, promotes the legalization of the drug. And in her efforts to put the Swedish snuff on the shelves of the European stores she has turned her back towards the policy of public health only to face the very EU argument, i.e. that the prohibition of the snuff is contrary to the competition rules of the EU.

Ewa Björling, who herself is using the snuff, has been very clear in pointing out that this is not a health issue, but it's a question of being allowed to compete on the internal market. Therefore, she sent a letter earlier this year to the Irish Commissioner, Charlie McCreevy, who is in charge of internal market and services, complaining about the great injustice that the Swedish snuff faces.

But while Sweden uses the EU arguments that it's unfair from a competitive perspective, the European Commission has adopted the Swedish approach, referring to the public health. The letter that the Swedish minister sent to Commissioner McCreevy was simply handed over to the health minister.

It seems like the Europeans need to be protected as well.

Andreas Liljeheden is a freelance journalist based in Brussels.