Issued on behalf of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems
EMBARGOED UNTIL 00.01, WEDNESDAY, 3rd JUNE 2015
EUROPEAN COMMISSION FAILS TO RESPOND TO EU PARLIAMENT AND MEMBER STATES’ DEMAND FOR NEW ALCOHOL STRATEGY – HEALTH NGOs, INCLUDING SCOTTISH HEALTH ACTION ON ALCOHOL PROBLEMS, RESIGN IN PROTEST
Over 20 Health NGOs, including Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), have today resigned from the EU Alcohol and Health Forum to signal their anger at DG Sante Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis’ announcement that he is not planning to introduce a new EU Alcohol Strategy. The previous EU Alcohol strategy expired in 2012 and since then the EU Parliament, numerous member states, and public health fora have repeatedly called for a replacement to tackle the substantial harm caused by alcohol in Europe.
SHAAP, a partnership of the Scottish Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties, has been vocal in arguing that the European Commission should not block member states’ actions on public health. This same theme was picked up by Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, in a speech in Brussels today, 2nd June 2015, where she stated,
"Some years ago, the Scottish Parliament voted to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol, to tackle alcohol harm in our society.
"Our ability to do that has been challenged, and is currently being considered by Scottish courts and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
"We know from their support for our case that many other member states support us. My view is that the Commission and EU policy should recognise that.
"They should give a higher priority to enabling member states to take the decisions they deem necessary to protect life and promote health."
In an open letter to the Commissioner, SHAAP and the other resigning NGOs noted their “deep concerns” about the neglect of public health and the prioritisation of alcohol industry interests. The Commission’s currently stated vague plans will fail to tackle the drivers of numerous alcohol harms such as drink driving, domestic violence, child abuse, accidents and injuries.
Dr. Peter Rice, Chair of SHAAP, said:
“Controlling the health harms that come from alcohol requires active planning and strategy. This is as true in Europe as it is in Scotland. Their decisions have a direct effect on what front-line doctors and nurses see in our clinics and hospital wards. SHAAP will continue to work hard to promote evidence-based alcohol policy and improve health. We can’t afford to waste time on window dressing.”
Eric Carlin, Director of SHAAP, said:
“We have been very active members of the EU Alcohol and Health Forum. However, there is no evidence to show the Forum has had any impact to date on public health, and with no new Alcohol Strategy planned, the Forum is meaningless. The European Commission needs to respond to demands of member states, the European Parliament and NGOs, rather than prioritising the needs of Big Business. Otherwise there is a real risk that the health gains we have been making in Scotland over the past few years in relation to reducing alcohol harms will be reversed.”
Mariann Skarr, Secretary General of Eurocare (The European Alcohol Policy Alliance), said:
“The Commissioner himself stated drinking behaviours in Europe are good for the Alcohol Industry but not good for Health. Eurocare represents 58 organisations in 25 countries and we deeply regret the Commission’s decision not to establish a new EU Alcohol Strategy. This flies in the face of persistent demands from Member States, the European Parliament and NGOs. The EU is the heaviest drinking region in the world and with 120,000 premature deaths related to alcohol each year, we absolutely must have a comprehensive strategy to tackle alcohol harm.”
ENDS
For further information and comment contact:
Eric Carlin (Director) SHAAP
0750 5081784 and shaap.director@rcpe.ac.uk
Dr. Peter Rice (Chair) SHAAP
07740 937732 and peter.rice@nhs.net
