www.alkoholpolitik.ch

Brussels, 09 June 2009, * Summary report pdf (75 KB)

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In 2008, the Danish government set up an independent Health Promotion and Prevention Committee with one objective: to extend the life of Danish citizens by 3 years over the next 10 years. The long-awaited findings of the Committee were finally made public in late April. The Committee came forward with 52 concrete proposals on how Danish lives can be extended by three years.
A number of these proposals dealt with alcohol policy. The committee proposed:
• The age limit for the sale of alcohol should be raised from 16 years of age to 18 – with age enforcement tightened. …
The Government (an alignment of the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party) has, however, disputed the recommendations from the Prevention Commission’s conclusions – even before the report was published. The Health Minister himself (Conservative) dismissed the report, arguing that the population do not want these kinds of recommendations.
However, a study carried out in Denmark in 2008 found that the Danish people are far ahead of their politicians on prevention matters. (Source: Eurocare Newsletter April/May 09)

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Researchers from the Curtin University of Technology in Australia have uncovered some of the secret workings and concerns of the international alcohol industry.
The information was uncovered by Curtin’s WA Tobacco Document Searching Program. This Program looks at confidential tobacco industry documents that have been accessible since the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) which required that millions of previously internal tobacco industry documents were to be made publicly available. “We realised that some international tobacco companies have owned alcohol companies, so we could obtain information on this industry as well,” said Mike Daube, Curtin’s Professor of Health Policy. These once confidential internal documents provide new evidence on the drinks industry’s concerns about possible alcohol control measures as well as the arguments and strategies they use to prevent any action that might impact on their sales. Top 10 alcohol industry concerns: …(Source: Eurocare Newsletter April/May 09)

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As part of its commitment in the framework of the European Alcohol and Health Forum, FEANTSA has gathered relevant information relating to homelessness and alcohol addiction. The present document and the online resource page aim at raising awareness on the scope and nature of the problem and at providing policy makers, homeless services personnel and other stakeholders with useful resources. This briefing paper gives an overview of the main issues, which should be taken into account when addressing alcohol addiction and homelessness. It is based on the input of FEANTSA’s working group on health and social protection. FEANTSA’s Recommendations… (Source: Eurocare Newsletter April/May 09)

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As its commitment to the European Commission Alcohol and Health Forum, IAS (Institute of Alcohol Studies) has created a Data Map of English language, trans-European surveys that include questions about alcohol consumption and related matters. Like the UK Data Map which preceded it, the European Data Map is intended as a resource for researchers with an interest in alcohol issues at the European Union level. This ‘data map’ is a first attempt to map out all the publicly available data on alcohol in the EU. (Source: Eurocare Newsletter April/May 09) EU Data Map

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On 22 May 2009 The Sixty-second World Health Assembly passed resolution WHA 62.14, Reducing health inequities through action on the social determinants of health. The resolution is base on the report from the Commission on Social Determinants of Health, Closing the gap in a generation.
The resolution may be downloaded from this web site: http://apps.who.int/gb/e/e_wha62.html#Resolutions
With the close of the sixty-second World Health Assembly, one year is left before the sixty-third World Health Assembly will consider a Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. (Source: NGO Alliance for a Global Strategy on Alcohol, 6/2/09)

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2nd Open Forum on Alcohol and Health, Brussels, 30 April 2009 Summary report, presentations. EU, 5/20/09

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# Health determinants: European Alcohol and Health Forum
Fourth plenary meeting, Brussels, 11 March 2009 Summary report, presentations
# Health determinants: European Alcohol and Health Forum
5th meeting of the Task Force Marketing Communication, Brussels, 10 March 2009 Summary report, presentations

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The first budget plan submitted to Congress by President Barack Obama includes an overall increase in funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) but calls for elimination of the Department of Education’s Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFS) state grants program as part of $17 billion in cuts to programs deemed wasteful or ineffective. (Source: Join Together, 5/10/09)

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On a Community strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm. (2001/C 175/01)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
1. EMPHASISES that a high level of human health protection should be ensured in the definition and implementation of all Community policies and activities; etc. (Source: Google Alkohol Alert, 5/5/09)

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