Questions: What are the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) and its trade negotiations potential impact on alcohol policy and legislation? Is there a risk that alcohol advertising, distribution, hospitality sector, licensing, treatment and more, will be subject to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) either directly or indirectly?

Moderator:  Robert Reynolds, Director, Center for Policy Analysis and Training, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), USA

Jim Grieshaber-Otto: Independent Trade Policy Consultant at Cedar Isle Research, BC, Canada. Grieshaber-Otto has written extensively on international trade agreements and on the aspects of public health and alcohol.

Alcohol policy instruments are currently on the negotiating table in the GATS. What is the aim of the GATS; what alcohol policies might be affected; how do the negotiations proceed; and what are the public health safeguards?

Alcohol policy and the and the World Trade Organization (WTO)
Addressing new challenges in Europe
(presentation)

Jim Grieshaber-Otto
Independent Trade Policy Consultant at Cedar Isle Research,
BC, Canada

Panel discussion and questions:

Matthias Meyer Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems Anders Ulstein Actis
Jim Grieshaber-Otto
Robert Reynolds PIRE (moderator)
Derek Rutherford Eurocare

• What is the precise nature of the challenge posed by GATS?
• To what extent are the WTO negotiations relevant for European alcohol policy?
• What appears to be the EU’s dilemmas in relation to the WTO negotiations?
• Is there a role for civil society in influencing the negotiations?