11 Reducing alcohol-related harm
| (27993)
14851/06
COM(06) 625
+ ADD 1
+ ADD 2
+ ADD 3
| Commission Communication : An EU strategy to support Member States in reducing alcohol-related harm
Commission staff working document: Report on the implementation of the Council Recommendation of 5 June 2001 on the drinking of alcohol by young people, in particular children and adolescents
Commission staff working document: summary of Impact Assessment
Commission staff working document: Impact assessment of the Commission Communication
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| Legal base | — |
| Document originated | 24 October 2006
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| Deposited in Parliament | 10 November 2006
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| Department | Health |
| Basis of consideration | EM of 20 November 2006
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| Previous Committee Report | None
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| To be discussed in Council | 30 November 2006
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
11.1 In 2001, the Council adopted a Recommendation which urged
Member States to take action to deter the illegal sale of alcohol
to children and adolescents and to educate young people, parents,
teachers and others about the harmful effects on young people
of drinking alcohol.[23]
The Recommendation also invited the Commission to make periodic
reports on the action taken by Member States.
11.2 In June 2001, the Employment, Social Policy,
Health and Consumer Affairs Council invited the Commission to
make proposals for a comprehensive Community strategy, to complement
national policies, to reduce alcohol-related harm. The invitation
was repeated by the Council in June 2004.
11.3 Article 152 of the EC Treaty provides for Community
action, to complement national policies, to improve public health
and prevent disease by encouraging cooperation between Member
States and supporting their action. The Article expressly states
that Community action on public health must respect the responsibility
of the Member States for the organisation and delivery of health
services and medical care.
The document
11.4 The Communication contains the Commission's
response to the Council's request for proposals for a strategy.
11.5 The Commission recognises that public attitudes
to alcohol consumption vary between Member States. It does not
propose that Community action should replace national policies:
"In particular, the Commission does not intend
as a consequence of this Communication to propose the development
of harmonised legislation in the field of the prevention of alcohol-related
harm.
"This Communication aims at mapping actions
which have already been put in place by the Commission and Member
States, and identifies on the one hand good practices which have
led to positive results, and on the other areas of socio-economic
importance and Community relevance where further progress could
be made.
"The Communication also explains how the Commission
can further support and complement national public health policies
… This commitment from the Commission to further pursue and
develop actions under its competences together with a list of
good practices which have already been implemented in different
Member States and the establishment of an Alcohol and Health Forum
which will help their dissemination, will constitute the backbone
of a comprehensive strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm in
Europe."[24]
11.6 The Communication is supported by:
- a country-by-country report
on the implementation of the 2001 Recommendation on the drinking
of alcohol by young people (ADD 1);
- an assessment of the impact of the Communication
(ADD 3); and
- a summary of the assessment (ADD 2).
11.7 The Commission sets out what it sees as the
case for Community action in section 3 of the Communication and
section 5 of ADD 2. It notes, for example, that harmful consumption
of alcohol has a major effect not only on public health itself
but also on health insurance, law enforcement, public order, safety
at work, productivity and economic performance. Excessive consumption
is the cause of or is linked to:
- 7.4% of all ill-health and
early death in the EU;
- over 10% of the deaths of women aged 15 to 29;
- 29% of the deaths of men aged 15 to 29;
- one traffic accident in four;
- the death of 10,000 people a year in road accidents;
and
- brain damage to the foetuses of women who drink
too much.
11.8 The Commission also notes that the proportion
of young people with harmful or hazardous patterns of alcohol
consumption has increased over the last ten years. It says that:
"The highest numbers of binge-drinking amongst
15-16 year olds are reported in Ireland (32%), the Netherlands
(28%), the United Kingdom (27%), Malta (25%) and Sweden (25%).
Countries with the lowest binge drinking figures are Hungary (8%),
France (9%), Cyprus (10%), Romania (11%), Poland (11%) and Greece
(11%)."[25]
11.9 The Commission has identified five "priority
themes" which, in its view, are relevant to all Member States
and would add value to national policies. The five priorities
are as follows:
- Protect young people, children
and the unborn child.
- Reduce injuries and deaths from alcohol-related
road traffic accidents.
- Prevent alcohol-related harm among adults and
reduce the negative impact on the workplace.
- Inform, educate and raise awareness about the
impact of harmful and hazardous alcohol consumption, and on appropriate
consumption patterns.
- Develop, support and maintain a common evidence
base.
11.10 The Communication sets out, for each priority,
its aims, the "rationale for action" and a paragraph
on "good practice". For example, the Commission says
that the aim of the fourth priority is to increase EU citizens'
awareness of the effect of excessive alcohol consumption on health.
The rationale for action on the priority is as follows:
"Citizens have a right to obtain relevant information
on the health impact, and in particular on the risks and consequences
related to harmful and hazardous consumption of alcohol, and to
obtain more detailed information on added ingredients that may
be harmful to the health of certain groups of consumers. Moderate
alcohol consumption appears to offer some protection against coronary
heart disease in older people (45 and over depending on gender
and individual differences."[26]
The passage on good practice says:
"Lifestyle choices at a young age predetermine
health as an adult. This makes children and young people —
as well as their parents — an important target group for
health education and awareness raising interventions. Broad and
carefully implemented health and life-skills education programmes,
beginning in early childhood and ideally continued throughout
adolescence, can raise awareness and have an impact on risk behaviour.
Such interventions should address both risk factors such as alcohol
and periods of risk, such as adolescence, and protective factors
[that is] changes of lifestyles and behaviours … ."[27]
11.11 The Communication says that Member States have
the main responsibility for action and that the Commission's role
is:
- to provide, at EU and Member
State levels, information about the major public health issues
raised by alcohol abuse;
- to raise awareness of the issues;
- to cooperate with Member States and stakeholders
(such as alcohol manufacturers and retailers, employers' organisations,
public bodies, experts and NGOs) in addressing the issues;
- to take action at EU level on matters within
the Commission's competence, particularly though programmes such
the 7th Framework Programme on Research and Development and the
Public Health Programme;
- to identify and disseminate good practice; and
- to support and coordinate action by the Member
States.
11.12 Section 6.1 of the Communication lists action
the Commission intends to take and section 6.2 gives examples
of the action Member States are taking.
11.13 The Commission attaches particular importance
to its intention to set up an Alcohol and Health Forum by June
2007. The Forum will bring together experts from industry, voluntary
bodies, Member States, EC agencies and others. Its objective will
be to support, contribute to and monitor the implementation of
the strategy proposed in the Communication.
11.14 The Commission will also work with alcohol
producers, retailers, the media and advertisers to promote good
self-regulation and to reach agreement on a code of "commercial
communication" on, for example, advertising and sales.
11.15 The Commission will produce regular reports
on the implementation of the strategy.
The Government's view
11.16 The Minister of State for Public Health at
the Department of Health (Caroline Flint) tells us that the Government
broadly welcomes the Communication. She says that the Commission's
proposals are mainly in line with current UK policies to reduce
alcohol-related harm and encourage sensible drinking.
11.17 The 2004 Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for
England has four main themes: improving health and treatment;
education and communication; tackling crime and disorder; and
working with the drinks industry on communication and corporate
responsibility.
11.18 The Scottish Executive will shortly publish
its updated Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems. The Executive
is also working with the alcohol industry to tackle the health
and social harm associated with excessive drinking.
11.19 Earlier this year, Northern Ireland launched
its New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs 2006-11. Action
on under-age drinking and on alcohol-related anti-social behaviour
are among its main priorities.
11.20 Alcohol is part of the Welsh Assembly Government's
substance misuse strategy.
11.21 The Minister welcomes the Commission's intention
to set up the Alcohol and Health Forum. The Forum will provide
a useful opportunity for the Government to strengthen its work
with the alcohol industry on responsible advertising and marketing
and to influence good practice in the EU. The Minister says that
the Government aims to use the Forum to explain, for example,
why it considers that information campaigns are best developed
at Member State level; and that targeted breath tests are a more
efficient use of police resources than random breath testing.
Conclusion
11.22 The Commission has produced this Communication
in response to an express request from the Council for proposals
for a "strategy" to reduce alcohol-related harm. It
is not apparent to us why an EU strategy is needed. Clearly, there
is benefit in exchanging information and disseminating good practice.
And it makes sense to use the Community's Research Programme to
commission work on alcohol-related research projects. But that
does not add up to anything so grand as a strategy. Moreover,
as the passages we have quoted illustrate, the Communication does
not seem to us to offer any new insights or propose any significant
new action except, perhaps, the creation of the Alcohol and Health
Forum.
11.23 Because of the importance of the subject,
we draw the Communication to the attention of the House but we
see no need to keep it under scrutiny.
23 Council Recommendation 2001/458/EC on the drinking
of alcohol by young people, in particular children and adolescents:
OJ No. L 161, 16.6.01, p.38. Back
24
Commission Communication, Section 1, page 4. Back
25
ADD 2, page 5. Back
26
Commission Communication, section 5.4.1, page 11. Back
27
Commission Communication, section 5.4.2, page 11. Back
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