Site Navigation



EU Alcohol Strategy makes a promising start

But Eurocare worried about alcohol industry influence

Director General Robert Madelin defends involvement of the industry: attacks ‘apartheid’ approach to alcohol policy

The adoption of the EU Alcohol Strategy in October 2006 has prompted considerable activity in the European Commission and in the Member States and this makes for a very promising start in tackling the alcohol issue, although much more remains to be done.

This is the main conclusion of the first progress report on the Strategy prepared by the Commission.

Meanwhile, Eurocare, the main alcohol policy advocacy group in the EU, published its own ‘shadow’ progress report on the Strategy based on feedback from Eurocare member organisations across Europe. This found that, while Eurocare members expressed strong support for the aims and objectives of the Strategy, most were skeptical that it would, of itself, significantly reduce the number of casualties from alcohol related harm, and they were also worried that the alcohol industry was being given the opportunity to obstruct progress and to divert activity into areas that are relatively ineffective in reducing harm.

However, speaking exclusively to The Globe, Director General Robert Madelin, the driving force behind the EU Alcohol Strategy, defended the Commission’s strategy of involving the alcohol industry. Mr Madelin said that he believed strongly in the value of co-operation and that all stakeholders had a duty to engage with the alcohol policy process. He said:

“To say that different players have different roles is one thing. But I don’t think you can have a sort of apartheid approach towards policy making, and I think, in particular, that in an area which is focused on the behaviour of citizens in society, in today’s society in Europe, you’ll never achieve behavioural change by an apartheid approach.”

The full interview with Mr Madelin is on pages 14-17.

Status of National Strategies on alcohol in EU Member States
National strategy adopted or revised 2006 or later
10
Cyprus, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, UK
National strategy revised before 2006
8
Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden
No national strategy on alcohol or strategy at sub-national level only
11
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovenia

European Commission Progress Report

The EC progress report states that, since the adoption of the Strategy, there has been considerable activity on the part of the Commission, the Member States and the wider stakeholders to set up the infrastructure for implementation.

The Strategy defines five priorities:

  • The protection of young people, children and the unborn child from alcohol harm
  • Reducing injuries and deaths from alcohol related road traffic accidents
  • Preventing alcohol harm in adult populations
  • Informing, educating and raising awareness of the impact of harmful alcohol consumption
  • Developing and maintaining a common evidence base at EU level.

The structure put in place by the Commission to implement the strategy and to achieve the priorities is based on four main pillars:

  • Strengthened co-ordination and policy development between Member States and the European Union level, through the Committee on National Alcohol Policy and Action
  • Stimulation of concrete stakeholder-driven action on the ground, through the European Alcohol and Health Forum
  • Development of reliable, comparable and regularly updated data on alcohol consumption, drinking patterns and alcohol-related harm, as well as on common indicators and definitions, through the Committee on Data Collection, Indicators and Definitions
  • Mainstreaming the reduction of alcohol-related harm into other Community policies.

A number of other Community policy areas, such as Transport, have taken concrete actions that contribute to the priority areas of the Alcohol Strategy. A range of alcohol-focused projects have been carried out under Community Health Programmes 2003-2008. These have included Bridging the Gap, designed to promote networking and collaboration in alcohol policy, and the development of advocacy training and tool-kits for advocates, and its successor project Building Capacity. The progress reports summarises activity at Member State level as a steady convergence of actions towards those identified as good practice. Most Member States now have a written alcohol policy in place. There is a continuous trend towards an age limit of 18 years for selling and serving alcohol, and towards lowered Blood Alcohol Concentration limits for drivers of motorised vehicles.

Wider stakeholders have been engaged in the Alcohol Strategy through the European Alcohol and Health Forum. Members of the Forum include public health NGOs, alcohol manufacturers and producers and health professionals, and membership has grown to over 60. Members have launched over 100 commitments to act to reduce alcohol related harm, and a balanced group of Forum Members has closely explored a range of specific topics; such as marketing communication, national structures for self regulation, and youth. The Forum’s Science Group adopted a scientific opinion on the relationship between marketing communication and the volume and pattern of young peoples’ alcohol consumption, which opinion will be valuable for developing the next steps in relation to this topic.

The next EC progress report on the Alcohol Strategy is due in 2012.

The EC Progress Report can be accessed at: http://ec.europa.eu/ health/ph_determinants/life_ style/alcohol/alcohol_en.htm

Eurocare Shadow Report: Alcohol Strategy essential but could be improved

The Eurocare Shadow Report offers strong support to the Commission in carrying out the Strategy while also adopting a critical stance in relation to some aspects. A key Eurocare conclusion is that while the present Strategy is a crucial first step, the goal now should be to work towards setting specific targets for reductions in the harmful consumption of alcohol and in levels of alcohol related disease and social damage.

The Eurocare Report comments that while the Strategy was eagerly awaited by the public health community, it was, in has the end, a considerably watered down version of the draft that had initially been put forward by DG SANCO. From the beginning, the Commission announced that it would not put forward any legislative measures, the justification for this being the “existence of different cultural habits related to alcohol consumption”.

This disappointed many public health experts, who regarded the Strategy as not wholly serious, lacking targets and a budget, and having been weakened as it evolved.

The report makes it clear, however, that overall, Eurocare welcomes the EU Alcohol Strategy, a public health victory in itself, in that it was adopted despite the strong opposition of sections of the alcohol industry. There is, therefore, strong Eurocare support for the priorities as defined in the Strategy and strong support for its continuation.

In regard to priorities, there is a great degree of unanimity regarding the protection of young people; this is of vital importance for all Eurocare members. Reducing road deaths is also regarded by virtually all as a very high priority. There is a suggestion that the middle-aged and elderly populations should have a higher priority, as that is where harm is concentrated and it will have an impact on young people (as middle aged often are parents as well).

However, Eurocare members are concerned over the developments in other directorates in the European Commission, or lack of them. Reducing alcohol related harm, the Eurocare report says, does not seem to have a high priority when issues like cross border trade, taxes and agricultural support are discussed and legislated.

There is a need for a more targeted approach. Member States need to make the Strategy more focused and develop specific agreed objectives such as a defined reduction in total alcohol consumption and liver cirrhosis deaths by a certain year; maximum BAC 0,2 in all EU Member States; a European standardized unit of alcohol etc.

There is also a concern about what will happen in the coming five years with a new European Parliament, New Commission and expected changes internally within DG SANCO – will the support for the Strategy be continued?

Eurocare members tend to think that the Strategy in itself may not bring about major reductions in casualties, unless actions are stepped up. The Strategy gives insufficient emphasis to the priorities identified. This leads to an implied belief that priorities are not being pursued vigorously enough. There is a need to formulate more specific targets, whilst also working harder at promoting a coherent approach through health in other policies.

The Eurocare report can be accessed at: http://www.eurocare. org/library/latest_news/eu_ alcohol_strategy_progress_report