Council invites Member States and Commission to keep alcohol high on the agenda
1 December 2009. The Council of the EU adopted today its Conclusions on Alcohol and Health
Please click here to access today's Council conclusions on Alcohol and Health
The Council reiterates that harmful and hazardous alcohol consumption is the third most significant risk factor for ill health in the EU and that many Community policies have a potential positive or negative impact on health and well-being.
The Council also notes that the level of alcohol-related harm is still high in the Member States, that 15 % of the EU population drinks at harmful and that the impact of harmful use of alcohol is greater in young people.
It also remarks that these issues are of Community relevance because of the cross-border element and highlights the negative effect on both economic and social development and public health.
The Council conclusions also mention that alcohol marketing increases the likelihood of young people to start drinking, that alcohol has became more affordable between 1996 and 2004 and that alcohol pricing policies can reduce alcohol consumption and related harm.
It also points at the relationship between alcohol consumption and communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
The Council invites the Member States to:
- implement the good practices included in the EU Alcohol
- foster a multi-sectoral approach
- make use of effective measures
- consider the role of alcohol pricing policies
- address the wellbeing of the ageing population
The Council invites both the Commission and the Member States to:
- Keep alcohol policy high on the agenda
- strengthen the identification and dissemination of effective policies
- recognise the reduction of health inequalities as a priority
- engage the alcohol industry to enforce regulatory measures
- consider how to improve EU regulations on alcohol marketing
- implementation of brief interventions
- raise awareness of the impact of harmful consumption
The Council invites the Commission to:
- Continue to provide strong support to the Member States
- Ensure that alcohol is taken into account in other EU policy areas
- Consider further steps to reduce exposure to alcohol marketing
- Report to the council in 2012 at the latest on the progress and outcome of the Commission work , and;
- Define the priorities for the next phase of the Commission's work on alcohol after the end of the current strategy in 2012.