A waiter serves a glass of red wine in Hong Kong May 28, 2008.

Milan will become the first Italian city to bar drinking for youths aged¹ under 16 when a ban takes effect on Monday, and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he favored extending the ruling nationwide.

Faced with a growing youth drinking problem, the city council in Italy's fashion and business capital voted on Friday to crack down on underage alcohol consumption.

In an interview with Corriere della Sera newspaper on Sunday, Berlusconi said Milan was a model for the rest of Italy.

"I'm worried about the reckless way in which young people are using alcohol”, he said.

"So other ordinances² from mayors throughout Italy would be welcome, they would have my full support."

Milan has set a fine of 500 euros ($705) for the possession and consumption of alcohol for those under 16 as well as for those selling to under age buyers. The under age drinker's parents will be notified of the penalty.

"Children are good at getting around obstacles, we've stepped in with a fully-rounded ordinance," Mayor Letizia Moratti said in a statement.

Thirty-four percent of Milan's 11-year-olds have already had problems with alcohol, and 750,000 minors³ drink in Italy, the statement said.

本周一，米兰的禁酒令正式生效，这使该市成为意大利首个禁止16岁以下青少年饮酒的城市。意大利总理西尔维奥•贝卢斯科尼称他支持将禁酒令在全国推广。

作为意大利的时尚和商业中心，米兰的青少年饮酒问题日益严重，该市议会于上周五投票通过了一项禁令，以阻止未成年人饮酒。

在上周日接受《晚邮报》采访时，贝卢斯科尼称，米兰为意大利其它城市树立了榜样。

他说：“我对年轻人无节制的饮酒很担心。”

“所以非常欢迎意大利其它城市效法，我将全力支持它们。”

米兰市规定，持有或饮酒的16岁以下少年将被罚款500欧元（合705美元），向未成年人售酒也将面临同样的惩罚。处罚结果将告知未成年饮酒者的父母。

市长Letizia Moratti在一份声明中称：“孩子们很擅长钻政策的漏洞，所以我们颁布了一项全面禁令。”

该声明表示，11岁以下的米兰少年中，有34%存在饮酒问题，意大利有75万未成年人饮酒。

Vocabulary:

underage：未成年的，未到法定年龄的

minor：未成年人