2.0 World Health Organisation - European Alcohol Action Plan

2.1 A further development has been the endorsement of the WHO European Alcohol Action Plan by all Member States of the Union.⁴

2.2 The Action Plan is designed to achieve Target 17 of the WHO's 'Health for All'. This states:

• 'By the year 2000, the health-damaging consumption of dependence-producing substances such as alcohol, tobacco and psychoactive drugs should have been significantly reduced in all Member States.'
• 'By the year 2000, the health-damaging consumption of dependence-producing substances such as alcohol, tobacco and psychoactive drugs should have been significantly reduced in all Member States.'
• 'This target can be achieved if well balanced policies and programmes ... are implemented ... to reduce alcohol consumption by 25 per cent, with particular attention to reducing harmful use.' ⁵

2.3 This is the first time the WHO Regional Office for Europe has tackled the problems arising from the use of alcohol by formulating and implementing a strategic plan urging concerted action by Member States throughout Europe. It marks a major advance in European public health policy which it is hoped will be given further impetus by the European Ministerial Conference on 'Health, Society and Alcohol' to be held in Paris in December 1995.

2.4 Three key considerations lie behind the Action Plan:

• Health and Social Problems

• Six per cent of deaths among people aged under 75 and 20 per cent of all acute hospital admissions are alcohol-related.
• More than 1 in 5 road traffic deaths and accidents are alcohol-related and alcohol is an important factor in domestic, recreational and work-related accidents.
• Alcohol use is implicated in a considerable proportion of public order problems including violence and also in family disruption and child abuse, placing a heavy burden on the social welfare system.

• Economic

• Europe is the continent with the highest consumption, production and export of alcohol.
• While such production is of importance in some regions, on average the value of alcohol production is probably less than 2 per cent of gross domestic product.
• The economic costs of alcohol problems are equivalent to 5 - 6 per cent of GNP.

• Cultural

  • A wide range of social and cultural attitudes and meanings are attached to alcohol use throughout Europe. In some parts of Europe alcohol has little use; in others it is an integral part of daily life.

  • Consequently, the challenge of the Action Plan is to take all these key components and find the right balance in order to reduce alcohol-related harm.