Members of the European parliament's environment, public health and food safety committee have come together to produce a practical and relevant EU alcohol strategy.
Alcohol continues to cause millions of deaths each year across EU member states and remains the second largest risk factor for disease burden. It is clear that more must be done by member states to reduce the number of harmful incidents and deaths associated with alcohol.
I have supported calls to ensure that any such policy recognise efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm cannot rest solely on the health sector; it must follow the principle of health in all policies. We must also take account of both the direct and indirect consequences of excessive alcohol consumption such as mortality, chronic conditions and domestic violence.
"The production and consumption of alcohol is tied to an array of cultural and traditional observances across member states, therefore no single EU rule can resolve this issue"
While an EU strategy must be put in place, tackling this issue remains a member state competency. The EU can only play a support role. Member state efforts to inform the public of the health risks surrounding alcohol consumption must be supported by the EU, especially efforts to reach the more vulnerable members of society, for example young people and pregnant women.
It is my belief that many are ill-informed of the effects of alcohol consumption and/or addiction and are oblivious to the effects heavy consumption causes to the liver, pancreas, heart and digestive tract. It is most important that we strengthen public awareness campaigns focused on the effects of alcohol during pregnancy and fully explain the effects this may have on an unborn child.
The production and consumption of alcohol is tied to an array of cultural and traditional observances across member states, therefore no single EU rule can resolve this issue. In some countries the consumption of alcohol by minors at mealtimes is seen as a healthy and normal thing, and in other countries more spirits are consumed than any other type of alcohol. It is important that any efforts take account of these differences and in no way impede safe and healthy drinking cultures. We must respect national gastronomic traditions.
Given a number of practical concerns, I do not support minimum unit pricing of alcohol. Companies participating in the market would lose their competitive edge and any MUP would affect jobs and growth in this sector.
Further, while I recognise that increases in pricing can be associated with a reduction in consumption, there is no conclusive proof to suggest that an arbitrary unit pricing mechanism would make the consumption of alcohol any safer. If alcohol becomes unaffordable for the many, we risk imposing a prohibition-style framework that forces consumers into purchasing alcohol from dubious and unregulated sources. This would have a counter-productive effect on any measures we instigate to tackle the health problems associated with extensive alcohol consumption.
We must keep in mind that the main impetus for reducing alcohol related harm must come from member states; the EU can only play a support role. Varying cultural practices must be taken into account in order to produce effective tailor-made national health campaigns.