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Belgium's Parliament Rejects Ban On Free Alcohol

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Good morning, I'm Rachel Martin with a story about the benefits of drinking on the job. At least that's what the Belgian parliament concluded. Since the 1990s, legislators in Belgium have been given free beer and wine in the parliament building. Recently, a member of the ethics committee said drinking can lead to bad behavior and suggested that maybe banning it could improve the quality of debate. Parliament said cheers, but no thanks. Apparently before the free booze, MPs were sneaking out of sessions to drink instead. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.