Brussels, 08/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - It has almost become a habit. Similarly to all recent meetings, the health ministers' meeting on Monday 7 December also called on the European Commission to put forward an EU strategy on the reduction of alcohol-related harm.
National policies on alcohol are mainly covered by the remit of the EU member states themselves. Nonetheless, the Commission adopted a European strategy in 2006 to help member states. Following the expiry of the 2006 strategy, the Parliament and Health Council both urged the Commission to publish a new document. In a resolution on 29 April 2015, MEPs called for a strategy for the 2016-22 period focusing on the same objectives as the previous strategy, with an orientation towards action and promoting a multilateral and participative approach.
The conclusions adopted on Monday by the Health Council go in this direction. They urge the Commission to adopt a comprehensive EU strategy by the end of 2016 dedicated to the reduction of alcohol-related harm, comprising measures in a number of different areas of EU action. Health ministers point out that this should help to “tackle health, social and economic consequences of the harmful use of alcohol. This dedicated EU strategy should focus on initiatives on the reduction of alcohol-related harm with a cross-border dimension and an EU added value”. Health ministers also point out that they expressed this position during the informal meeting on 21 April 2015 and during the Health Council session on 19 June 2015.
During the debate (not open to the public), which preceded the adoption of conclusions, the European Commission emphasised its determination to support member states in their action, as it was currently doing. It also indicated that no final decision had been made on the future of the alcohol strategy. Moreover, according to our information, the Commission has no intention of presenting a new strategy in the name of the sacrosanct principle of “better regulation”. It is more geared towards a document (which will not take the shape of a strategy) that will point out that the EU can contribute to the WHO targets on chronic diseases by way of social funds, research projects and health programme pilot projects. The Netherlands will be in charge of the Council of the EU as from 1 January 2016. It has not indicated, however, that it intends to maintain this pressure during its mandate and the country was not one of the 12 member states that spoke during the adoption of these conclusions. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)