Brussels, 26/05/2015 (Agence Europe) -European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis has announced that the European Commission does not intend to propose a new strategy for alcohol and that it would treat the problem as part of its overall framework on chronic diseases.
On Monday 18 May, the commissioner, taking part in the European Alcohol and Health Forum (EAHF), said that he was “very concerned” by alcohol abuse within the European population and asserted that he envisaged “a framework for action” in which all stakeholders would take part (Commission, member states, European Parliament, civil society and industry). Nonetheless, he favours “action on the main causes of chronic diseases, including alcohol but also tobacco, nutrition and physical inactivity”. According to the commissioner, the 2006 objectives remain appropriate and the line to be taken can continue to be based on them, namely protecting young people, children and unborn children, reducing road accidents by alcohol abuse, preventing inappropriate behaviour caused by alcohol abuse among adults, setting up information campaigns and drawing attention to the impact of the excessive consumption of alcohol and developing a comprehensive statistical database on alcohol consumption EU wide.
The current European strategy on alcohol dates from 2006 and came to an end in 2013. Since then, the Commission has not proposed any options for renewing this strategy, much to the disappointment of the European Parliament, which passed a resolution urging it to do so on 29 April last (see EUROPE 11305). More than 20 member states meeting informally in Riga on 20 April also spoke in favour of developing a new European strategy on alcohol (see EUROPE 11299), in addition to the public health organisations, which have significantly increased their demands for a renewed strategy. Secretary General of Eurocare Mariann Skar stated: “We have now been waiting since 2012 to see any development on policies to tackle alcohol-related harm in Europe. It has continuously been postponed, and now was the time to present new actions. However, it is a great disappointment that the commissioner is not able to address the calls from the Parliament and the member states”. (Isabelle Lamberty)