EU Ministers act on alcohol

Alcohol has moved to the heart of the debate on European health, thanks to the Swedish presidency of the EU. The Council of Ministers, chaired by Lars Engqvist, Minister for Health and Social Affairs in Sweden, accepted alcohol as a major health determinant and adopted a recommendation on the drinking of alcohol by young people, in particular children and adolescents.

The Council of Ministers wants to see research into all the different aspects of problems associated with alcohol consumption by young people and into what motivates them to start drinking in the first place.

Among other measures, ministers see as vital a more concerted effort at education as to the effects of alcohol consumption and its negative aspects; specific initiatives aimed at young people on the dangers of drink-driving; action against the illegal sale of alcohol to underage consumers and, where appropriate, the establishment of proof of age schemes; and efforts, through early detection and intervention, aimed at preventing young people becoming alcohol dependent.

The Council wants Member States to work with relevant non-governmental organisations, the alcohol industry, and retailers to establish means of regulation. In the words of the recommendation these should:

• ensure that producers do not produce alcoholic beverages specifically targeted at children and adolescents;

• ensure that alcoholic beverages are not designed or promoted to appeal to children or adolescents;

• develop specific training for servers and sales persons with regard to the protection of children and adolescents and with regard to existing licensing restrictions on the sale of alcohol to young people;

• allow manufacturers to get pre-launch advice, in advance of marketing a product or investing in a product, as well as on marketing campaigns before their actual launch;

• ensure that complaints against products which are not being marketed in accordance with the principles set out in the recommendation can be effectively handled, and that such products can be removed from sale and the relevant inappropriate marketing or promotional practices can be brought to an end;

• urge the representative producer and trade organisations of alcoholic beverages to commit themselves to observe the principles described above.

The ministers urge the European Commission to support the Member States in their efforts to promote further research at Community level into the alcohol consumption by young people.

The Council went on to note that the European Alcohol Action Plan 2000-2005 was endorsed by the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (see Globe, Issue 4, 1999) and the declaration of the WHO Ministerial Conference on Young People and Alcohol held in Stockholm in February, 2001, which stresses that alcohol policies directed at young people should be part of a broader societal response.

Most significantly, the ministers stressed that alcohol is one of the key health determinants in the European Community and "that scientific work has clearly shown that high consumption of alcohol in the population substantially increases the risk of all-cause mortality, especially liver cirrhosis, alcoholism, alcohol psychosis, alcohol poisoning, alcoholic gastritis, alcoholic cardiomyopathy and alcoholic polyneuropathy, haemorrhagic stroke, foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), and the level of other alcohol-related morbidity."

In addition, ministers expressed their concern at the fact that alcohol is a major contributory factor in fatal accidents on European roads. "Alcohol," they go on to say, "is also the direct cause of many accidents both in workplaces and at home."

There is a close link between alcohol abuse and reduced productivity at work, unemployment, social marginalisation and exclusion, domestic violence and disruption of the family unit, criminality, homelessness and mental unhealthy.

The ministers recognised the dangers in the reported increasing regular drinking habits as well as increasing binge drinking habits among young people in some Member States, particularly since there are strong links between an early start with regard to heavy alcohol consumption, substance abuse and criminality.

The Council concluded by underlining the desirability of developing "a comprehensive Community strategy aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm comprising in particular the following elements:

• further development of comparative and comprehensive information together with relevant high-quality research, and an effective monitoring system on alcohol consumption, alcohol-related harm, and policy measures and their effects in the European Community,

• a co-ordinated range of Community activities in all relevant policy areas; a high level of health protection shall be ensured in the definition and implementation of Community activities, in fields such as research, consumer protection, transport, advertising, marketing, sponsoring, excise duties and other internal market issues, while fully respecting Member States' competencies,

• strengthened co-operation and exchange of knowledge between Member States,

• international co-operation, in particular with and within the World Health Organisation."

These strong statements by the European Health Ministers may well prove to be one of the most important achievements of the Swedish presidency. Some Member States are already taking many of the measures recommended, but, for the good intentions to be realised on a community-wide basis, it will be necessary for all governments to take the problem seriously and act in concert.