The scale of paternalistic politics in Lithuania is one of the highest in Europe. How many more people are restricting their choices in food, beverages, tobacco consumption and trade only by the Norwegian government, according to an international study by the Nanny State Index published on Friday. According to the data of the Brussels–based European Policy Information Centre (EPICENTER), Lithuania ranks second in terms of the minutiae of government control and regulation in the areas of food, beverages, tobacco consumption and trade, as it did two years ago. Finland, which was in first place in the previous year‘s ranking, is in third place. The lowest levels of control are recorded in Germany, the Czech Republic and Luxembourg. The Nanny State Index, which shows the extent of government control in the areas of food, beverages, tobacco consumption and trade, has been carried out since 2016, and this year 30 countries – EU Member States, Iceland, the United Kingdom and Norway – are being analysed. The compilers of the Nanny State Index note that there is a growing trend towards taxing sugary beverages – twelve countries currently apply such taxes, compared to five in 2017. E–cigarettes are attracting more and more attention from public authorities: seventeen out of thirty countries prohibit smoking them in all places where tobacco products are not allowed, and sixteen countries have a complete or almost complete ban on the advertising of e–cigarettes. The compilers of the Nanny State Index note that in order to improve the health of citizens, policymakers should focus more on economic growth than on controlling citizens‘ behavior through bans and taxes.  Ratings for all countries can be found at this link.