A House of Lords committee report has called for key EU level action to reduce alcohol-related harms, rather than relying soley on efforts by member states.
The report highlights that there has been no EU alcohol strategy in place since 2012 when the six year strategy expired. However it says a meaningful strategy needs to focus on actions the EU itself can take, including reforming of alcohol tax structures and labeling legislation.
The report calls for future EU action to take a ‘health in all policies’ approach reflected through policies on related areas such as food labeling, cross-border marketing and taxation. It argues for 'measures at population level intended to reduce overall levels of consumption' to provide the over-arching context for effective national policies. On minimum unit pricing, it says that should Scotland overcome the current legal challenge, the rest of the UK should monitor and implement it should it prove successful.
The Committee received evidence from an extensive list of stakeholders, but repeatedly found 'diametrically opposing views of the advocates for public health, and those concerned with the manufacture, marketing and advertising of alcoholic drinks', despite often citing the same sources for their arguments.
Releasing the report, the Lords Committee stated its three main conclusions as:
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The 2006-12 strategy, while well-intentioned, did not concentrate on what the EU itself can act on. Consequently it achieved little. In developing any new action the EU should therefore concentrate on it can do, over and above any initiatives the Member States can take on their own. In particular, the EU should ensure that its own policies contribute to the reduction of alcohol-related harm and excessive drinking.
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The current EU alcohol taxation regime prevents Member States from raising duties on the most harmful substances, and provides incentives to purchase drinks with higher alcohol contents. This illogical taxation structure must be reformed.
- The EU rules of food labeling must be amended to include alcoholic drinks. These labels should include, as a minimum, the strength, the calorie content, guidelines on safe drinking levels, and a warning about the dangers of drinking when pregnant. Voluntary commitments are not enough.
The report includes an extensive list of specific conclusions and recommendations for the EU and also UK Governments. In particular, it highlights issues over the nature of marketing and mechanisms of voluntary regulation which need review, whilst the Committee found the greatest contradictions in submitted evidence for advertising and marketing issues. However the authors appeared to side with the public health witnesses arguing a link between advertising and consumption, saying 'industry witnesses were quick to criticise evidence contrary to their interests'.
For England, the report made some domestic recommendations, including that the 'Government review the ['below cost ban'] formula laid down by the Licensing Act 2003 (Mandatory Conditions) Order 2014 for calculating the minimum permitted price of alcoholic drinks'.
Recommendations were also made for research for which 'behavioural change, the impact of advertising on consumption by children and young people, harm to others and alcohol-related crime are some of the many areas where there are gaps in knowledge and where further research would significantly assist policy formulation'.
The report also recognised the importance of recent work by the World Health Organization (WHO) to support EU level action, including the WHO European action plan to reduce the harmful use of alcohol 2012–2020 and guidance on effective EU policies. However whilst any future EU strategy must build on the WHO's work, opportunities for legally binding reforms beyond just key health polices were emphasised by the Lords committee.
Any future EU action on alcohol, it says, should 'state realistic, clearly defined and measurable objectives, and include an evaluation mechanism to assess its
progress and added value'.
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