European Alcoho... / Resources / Country Profiles / Luxembourg
Luxembourg
According to available statistics, total consumption of alcoholic beverages increased in the 1950s and 1960s from little over 8 litres of pure alcohol per capita to over 11 litres per capita. Since 1970, the per capita consumption of distilled spirits has been adjusted in official statistics in order to remove the beverages the multitude of visitors to Luxembourg have bought either to be consumed while there or to be imported home. In 1990, visitors were estimated to account for 70 to 75 percent of all sales of distilled spirits in Luxembourg.
Total alcohol consumption has grown from the early 1970s through the mid 1980s. Especially strong during the first half of the 1980s, consumption grew at an annual rate of 6.7 percent largely due to wine consumption. During the same period, the total alcohol consumption increased by 3.5 percent per year, reaching the all-time high in 1984 of 14 litres per capita. However, when exactly the same basic figures are used for consumption of distilled spirits in litres of pure alcohol and of wine and beer in litres of the product, a total consumption figure of 12.7 litres of pure alcohol per capita is reached for the year 1984. The discrepancy of 10 percent is explained by the different assumptions of alcohol content in beer and wine. Regardless, the total alcohol consumption has either stayed on about the same level or decreased somewhat since the mid 1980s. [1]
The SDR per 100,000 people for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis was 16.77 in 2001 and 17.08 in 2002. [2]
The number of alcohol-related road traffic accidents per 100,000 people was 44.01 in 2000 and 35.99 in 2001. [3]
Alcohol Policy
The Prevention of Drug Dependencies in the Ministry of Justice is the national agency reponsible for prevention of alcohol-related problems. Regulations established apply to underage drinking and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for drivers. The National Council Against Alcoholism (Conseil National de Lutte contre l'Alcoolisme, CNLA) coordinates action against alcoholism and collaborates with state and local bodies. It has existed since 1980 and it is subsidised by the Ministry of Health. [4]
Alcohol Advertising
There are no legal restrictions on the advertising of alcoholic beverages in Luxembourg. Advertising of all alcoholic beverages is therefore permitted in the print media, as well as on radio and television. The regulatory framework is provided by the Law on Foodstuffs from 1982, and by the voluntary advertising code by "Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Telediffusion."
In 1984 a voluntary advertising code was established by the brewers. The code prohibited the advertising of beer in connection with the workplace, performance sports, driving and children.
Another voluntary agreement on alcohol advertising was established in 1992 on the intiative of CNLA. The voluntary agreement was made between the Ministry of Health and the producers, distributors and retailers of alcoholic beverages in Luxembourg. This code has some similarities to France's Loi Evin. It is applied to all alcoholic beverages over 1.2 percent alcohol by volume and imposes restrictions on the place, size, duration and content of advertisements. Although the code is voluntary and agreed upon by the producers, distributors and retailers of alcoholic beverages, it does not affect transborder advertising. However, the main foreign importers of alcoholic beverages have been informed of the voluntary agreement. [5]
[1] World Drink Trends (2002) (Henley-on-Thames, United Kingdom, Productschap voor Gedistilleerde Dranken and World Advertising Research Center Ltd.)
[2] & [3] European health for all database. World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe (http://hfadb.who.dk/hfa)
[4] Global status report on alcohol (1999) (Geneva, World Health Organization).
[5] Karlsson, Thomas and Österberg, Esa. "Chapter 12: Luxembourg." Alcohol Policies in EU Member States and Norway: A Collection of Country Reports. Esa Österberg and Thomas Karlsson, Eds. May 2003. P. 285-298.
