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EU Action to reduce alcohol related harm: recent developments and next steps. Ceri Thompson Team Leader: Alcohol and Drugs DG Health and Consumers European Commission. Alcohol Strategy timeline. Council Recommendation in 2001 included examples of good practice Alcohol in Europe report
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EU Action to reduce alcohol related harm: recent developments and next steps Ceri Thompson Team Leader: Alcohol and Drugs DG Health and Consumers European Commission
Alcohol Strategy timeline • Council Recommendation in 2001 included examples of good practice • Alcohol in Europe report • Health Impact Assessment • EU Alcohol Strategy October 2006 • Endorsed by • Council Conclusions November 2007 • EP Report August 2007 • First progress report presented to the EU Expert Conference on Alcohol and Health September2009
The situation in 2006 • Third largest risk factor for ill health in the EU • 12% of male and 2% of female premature deaths under age of 75 years • 195,000 premature deaths per yearin EU • 27,000 deaths from alcohol related accidents (1 in 4 road deaths) • 50,000 cancer deaths
The situation in 2009 • No new health outcome or road safety figures • Fairly stable alcohol consumption trends • New information on • Attitudes (EB survey) • Behaviours (e.g. ESPAD study shows changes to consumption patterns in EU, e.g. binge drinking increasing in some countries among young women) • Extent of health inequalities between MS • The role of affordability and pricing policy • New changes to the landscape (economic downturn across EU – impact unknown)
What else is new since 2006 • The Commission and the EP • Council Conclusions • Legal framework (new Treaty with references to alcohol) • New EESC opinion • For 2010: • Global Alcohol Strategy • WHO report on the Economic and Social costs of Alcohol
Conclusions • Post strategy consensus • Structures now in place for implementation and increasingly operational • We are seeing a steady convergence of MS actions (age limits increasing, BAC limits lowering) • Political and legal framework for alcohol at EU level is in transition • Current strategy ends in 2012
Merci! Thank you! DG Health and Consumers European Commission, Brussels