Stockholm, 22/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European governments, following the World Health Organisation (WHO) conference on youth and alcohol, which took place on 21 February in Stockholm, have unanimously adopted a declaration in which they assert that the 31 Member States of the organisation will have to ensure that producers of alcoholic products do not target children and youths in their advertising. The Health Ministers who took part in the conference underlined the need to reduce in a substantial manner the encouragement to drink that target youths through free samples, advertising, sponsors and access to alcoholic drinks. At the same time, they recognise that the globalisation of media and markets increasingly manipulates the perception, choices and behaviour of youth, and that many of them today benefit from more opportunities and greater revenues when at the same time they are more sensitive to the sales and marketing techniques that have become more aggressive. (See yesterday's EUROPE, p.11, for speech by European Commissioner David Byrne before the conference).