Alcohol and Health Forum Update

First Plenary Meeting

On 17 October 2007, DG Sanco hosted the first Plenary Meeting of the Alcohol and Health Forum[1].

The Agenda of the first meeting was mainly focused on practical discussions, such as the electronic form for commitments participants are required to fill in by Monday 3rd December 2007. All the data submitted by participants will be entered into a database, accessible from the Commission Website.

[1]

Launched in June 2007, the Forum counts over 40 members - businesses as well as NGO's, including Eurocare, and several of its national members. European Institutions, the World Health Organisation, and EU Member States, will participate as observers. A Committee on National Policy and Action, a structure separate of the Forum, will allow Member States to coordinate national alcohol policies, whilst the Forum remains a platform for concrete action

In addition, several applications for membership of the Forum were discussed; the following were accepted: HOTREC (founding member) with the British Beer and Pub Association as an associated member; Anheuser Busch as associated member to The Brewers of Europe, and European Social Insurance Platform (ESIP) was granted observer status. An application from the North West Alcohol Forum (Ireland) was rejected on the basis that it was not affiliated to a European Umbrella, which is a precondition for Forum membership. The Chair called upon the public health NGOs represented in the Forum to see whether they could provide an 'umbrella' for NWAF.

The next Plenary Meeting of the Forum will be on 16 April, followed by the Open Forum on 17 April 2008. The Open Forum will be open to non participants of the Forum, as well as the Press, and will be a unique opportunity for members to showcase their commitments. Suggestions on the format of the Open Day were sent to the Commission by Eurocare and other participating NGO's.

Read the Commission's Minutes of the first Plenary Session (including list of participants)

http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/alcohol/Forum/alcohol_forum_en.htm

Members of the Task Forces

In November, the Commission published the list of the participants of the two Forum Task Forces: ‘Youth Specific Aspects of Alcohol” and “Marketing Communications”. Eurocare put forward several nominations, and was happy that representatives were selected for each of the Task Forces.

• List of members of the task force on Youth Specific Aspects of Alcohol

http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/alcohol/Forum/docs/alcohol_forum_taskf1_en.pdf

• List of members of the task force on Marketing Communications

http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/alcohol/Forum/docs/alcohol_forum_taskf2_en.pdf

Report from the first meeting of the Task Force on Youth-Specific aspects of alcohol

Luxembourg, 22 November. The ForumTask Force on Youth-Specific aspects of alcohol held its first meeting last 22 November. The aim of this first meeting was to discuss the mandate, rules of procedure and work plan of the Task Force.

The main discussions during the meeting focused on:

- whether one of the tasks of the taskforce should be to eradicate under-age drinking instead of to curb under-age drinking as currently stated in the Charter, and;

- whether the charter should say “educating and empowering young people on responsible alcohol use” assuming therefore that all young people drink. The meeting finally agreed on “educating and empowering young people to make informed and responsible choices in relation to alcohol”.

The meeting agreed that protecting young people from alcohol abuse by others should be added to the tasks of the taskforce.

The next meeting of the taskforce will take place on 20 - 21 February 2008. During the meeting there will be a one day workshop to present and discuss best practices on reducing alcohol-related harm specific to the topics that they agreed upon in the mandate document.

Meeting of the Taskforce on Marketing Communications

The first meeting of the taskforce will take place in Brussels next Tuesday (11 December).