Transatlantic Cooperation to combat underage drinking

EU USA Transatlantic Dialogue

David Jernigan writes:

With support from the External Affairs Directorate of the European Commission, representatives from civil society organisations in the European Union and the United States have been engaged over the past two years in a series of dialogues about underage drinking. The aim of the dialogues is to develop closer transatlantic ties between civil society organisations in the US and the EU, and to develop an increased understanding of the issues relating to underage drinking and harm of adolescents.

The EU delegation, organised by Eurocare, brings together experience from the four corners of the European Union, including Estonia, Poland, Italy, France, England, Scotland, the Netherlands and Sweden. On the US side, the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health organised a delegation of representatives from both national and state-level organisations, and based in eight different states.

The group’s first two meetings in Washington DC and London, in November 2010 and June 2011 established common ground, providing myriad opportunities for learning and inspiration as participants shared stories of their work on both sides of the Atlantic. Topics covered included the shape of the problem of underage drinking, the evidence base for effective action, the very different political frameworks in the US and the EU, the role of the alcohol industry and how civil society engages with it in those political frameworks, recent successes in implementation of effective policies and practices, and recent attempts by alcohol marketers to expand into youthoriented digital media.

While the discussions highlighted the differences in national and regional contexts and governance, perhaps most striking were the similarities in the problem and the challenges faced by civil society in preventing and reducing it. To this end, the group quickly began to identify gaps in resources available for effective civil society action, and at a third meeting in Washington DC in November 2011, coalesced around the concept of developing a user guide for alcohol policy advocates.

Tentatively titled “Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity – A Practical Guide to the Protection of Young People from Alcohol Harms,” the guide would encompass a modular series of curricula to be used in workshops focusing on the scientific basis for action; necessary principles of organising, advocacy and communications; experience with implementation and enforcement of effective policies; and case studies of effective solutions from civil society on both sides of the Atlantic.

The funding has enabled the group to meet every six months, and to build up trust and understanding around the many issues of common interest. The most immediate outcome is the progress on the practical guide. However, the group has also explored other areas of interest to GAPA, such as how international treaties and conventions might be used as tools to promote alcohol policies more protective of young people.

For more information please contact Chris Brookes at: chris.brookes@hapi.org.uk, or go to the Eurocare website at http:// www.eurocare.org/eu_projects/ eu_usa_dialogue.