www.alkoholpolitik.ch

Results from the project Alcohol Marketing Monitoring in Europe (AMMIE) stress the need to implement a ban on sport sponsorship of alcohol brands in Europe. The project clearly shows that popular sports like football are heavily sponsored by alcohol brands, which is also the case with the UEFA Championship in Poland and Ukraine starting the coming weekend. – The AMMIE project shows how sport is being sponsored intensively by alcohol producers and that a ban is clearly needed, says Wim van Dalen, coordinator of AMMIE and Director of STAP – Dutch Institute for Alcohol Policy.

More sponsoring, more drinking
Recent studies shows that sport events sponsored by the alcohol industry are associated with higher levels of alcohol consumption among the sport spectators compared to spectators at sporting events where the event is not sponsored by the alcohol industry. This is especially worrying when the UEFA Championship starts the coming weekend with Carlsberg as one of the main sponsors.

Many sport clubs sponsored by the drinks industry
The AMMIE project has made the first attempt to examine alcohol-branded sport sponsorship of the top clubs of the five most frequently performed sports teams in Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. Until now there has been no data available that gives insight in the number of sport clubs that are sponsored by alcohol brands. AMMIE shows how this is widespread and should be paid more attention to. In AMMIE, national statistics were used to select the five most frequently performed sports teams in each country. Of these sports, the ten teams that play in the highest division are rated as top clubs. Of these 50 top clubs, the club websites have been scanned thoroughly for the presence of alcohol-branded sponsors. Following is data from each AMMIE country more detailed described.

Young people exposed
Although the sport events with the famous clubs are not exclusively viewed by youth, nonetheless children and adolescents represent a significant proportion of the general viewing public. In this regard, the message to youth is clear: sport and alcohol consumption is positive and fun and famous players support the very brands advertised. Alcohol consumption is therefore connected to the healthy image of sport activities, although it is, in reality, a causal factor in more than 60 different diseases and illnesses (WHO, 2007). …

Alcohol sponsor shapes the image of the club
AMMIE provide insight into the way sponsorships shape their contributions to popular sports and their clubs in the five countries studied. Not only does the presence of an alcohol brand sponsoring a sport club stand out, but also the role of this sponsor in shaping the image of the club. When alcohol producers sponsor a sport club, not only can their logo be found on their website, the stadium or sporting hall can be named after the alcohol brand and the alcoholic beverages of this brand can be sold on the website and/or within the sporting club (canteen/bar). In this way the alcohol brand attempts to associate itself with the sport, the sport club, its sportive success, the loyalty of its fans and its positive image in society.

For more information contact:
The Dutch Institute for Alcohol Policy (STAP)
PO box 9769
3506 GT Utrecht
The Netherlands
Tel: 0031 30 6565041/ 0031 6 53295544

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA and the Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA have published a declaration of the Swiss Health Foreign Policy. It was found in the Monthly e-Newsletter of the World Federation of Public Health Associations. Link: (31 pages, pdf)
Comment:
page 7: „Safeguarding of interests and coherence
In both domestic and foreign policy, Switzerland has a variety of objectives to pursue. For example, Switzerland wishes to reconcile its commitment to a liberal economic order with the interests of solidarity and global health. In the measures designed to achieve these objectives, therefore, the greatest possible coherence should be sought, synergies should be developed, and inevitable conflicts of interests should be openly addressed and re-solved via the existing political decision-making mechanisms.“

Comment: In domestic policy Switzerland has big problems pursuing these objectives. Regarding alcohol policy the inevitable conflicts between the liberal economy and the interest of the people is not openly addressed. The existing political decision-making mechanisms are not working because of a sort of „alcohol-dependency“ of the majority of politicians.

page 12: „Area of interest 1: Governance
Since its establishment, WHO has been the key agency and dominant international forum for health issues, especially in the normative area. However, the last ten years have seen the emergence of a large number of new state, private and mixed institutions, which have rapidly developed into significant actors in the health field, sometimes with massive financial resources. As a result, the global health architecture has become more complex, and governance at the global level more difficult. Switzerland has a substantial interest in an improvement of the effectiveness of global and international health cooperation. It is therefore seeking to promote more coherent interaction among the relevant actors from the sectors of health, development cooperation, humanitarian aid, human rights and other health-related policy areas, be it at the bilateral level – especially in relations with the EU, but also in bilateral development cooperation –, in multilateral bodies or in the context of the WHO reform process. …“

Comment: It seems as if the coordination between the two departments doesn’t work so well. Switzerland signed the Resolution at the WHO General Assembly 2010 on a Global Alcohol Strategy. But the department of Home Affairs didn’t act accordingly. Very few people in Switzerland know about this resolution. The medias didn’t report. In the new Law on Alcohol which is going to parliament there are no articles with effective measures included as proposed in that resolution. Responsible for this law is the Department of Finance.(!) The WHO-Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases in 2011 didn’t reach the people either. If the „existing political decision-making mechanisms“ are dominated by the interests of the alcohol industry, the population has no chance getting better alcohol related harm reduction.

The Scottish Government have today announced plans to almost half the drink-drive limit with a new scheme being implemented “as soon as possible”.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said that plans to bring the limit down, from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg, are set to be brought forward.

The announcement comes less than a week after Scotland became the first part of the UK to implement a minimum price for a unit of alcohol under a new binge-drinking bill.

MacAskill said, “The Scottish government has long called for a reduction in the drink-driving limit to 50mg.

“We strongly believe that reducing the drink-driving limit will save lives, and evidence from across Europe shows that alcohol-related road deaths drop dramatically where the limit has been reduced.”

Scottish road safety campaigners have welcomed the plans and said it was a step in the right direction.
(Source: Alcohol Reports, News, 05/28/12) independent.co.uk, 05/27/12

our Online-Comment: It is really interesting what funny reasons are given against this new limit. We have heard them as well when in Switzerland, after a long fight, parliament did this step. It is so simple, even after five years and more the amount of alcohol related accidents and deaths dropped by more than 20%. How anybody can be against this new rule?
Important is of course that many controls by the police are done and especially controls without suspicion. And that punishments with lost driver licences are strong enough.

In Focus
Alcohol harms you, others and the society – why does Europe need an alcohol strategy? 27 June 2012, European Parliament, Brussels
Finland takes important steps to restrict alcohol marketing
News from Eurocare
Alcohol Focus Scotland: Minimum pricing
NordAN: Conference reminder
EHYT: Cannabis Connotations of an Alcohol Ad cause a stir in Finland
Eurocare Italy: Partnership between Diageo and Italian Automobile Club
DHS: Focus on alcohol and cancer
News from the European Union Institutions
Report from the Chair of the European Alcohol and Health Forum
Presentations from the High Level Conference on EU Health Programmes
Question from MEP: Alcohol consumption in Europe
Question from MEP: Benefits of red wine
Question from MEP: Foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
Question from MEP: Wine imports: possible tax increase and imposition of quotas
News from across Europe
Scottish minimum price at 50p per unit
Ireland – Minister to end alcohol sponsorship of sports
Germany – Public Transit Pub: Will Alcohol Bans Stop Party Trains?
News from the World Health Organization
World Health Statistics
New research and reports
ALICE RAP Policy Brief on alcohol: ‘Alcohol – the neglected addiction’
Study on the affordability of alcoholic beverages in the EU
Research shows high level of serving alcohol to inebriated customers
Call for Papers Special Issue on International Perspectives on Alcohol Control Policies in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Upcoming Events ….
(Source: Eurocare, 25/05/2012)

The Scottish Government has passed the Alcohol Minimum Pricing Bill, meaning a 50 pence minimum unit price (MUP) could be in place north of the border by April next year. The Bill requires Royal Assent and still faces the threat of potential legal challenges as warned of by sections of the alcohol industry.

A 50 pence MUP would set a minimum floor price for an average strength bottle of wine at £4.69, vodka at £13.13 a bottle (70cl) and a standard four-pack of lager would need to cost at least £3.52. The Bill sets a minimum price for a unit of alcohol as a condition of licence.

However most drinks would be unaffected, especially those sold in pubs and restaurants. The minimum price would not be raised for at least two years and is reported to include a „sunset clause“. The move is expected to save lives and reduce crime based on evidence linking price and consumption and modelling work by the University of Sheffield.
(Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 05/25/12)

A detailed analysis of the alcohol industry’s submissions to a Parliamentary Inquiry has exposed a raft of false, misleading and unfounded claims.
The damning finding comes as alcohol industry representatives meet in Canberra today to present to the House of Representatives Inquiry into Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), and calls into doubt the veracity of the industry claims.

The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) analysed four alcohol industry submissions from the Winemakers Federation of Australia (WFA), the Brewers Association of Australia and New Zealand Inc (Brewers), the Distilled Spirits Industry Council of Australia (DSICA) and the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI).

The analysis found that between them, the alcohol industry bodies made a total of ten false or misleading claims regarding FASD, and the effectiveness of interventions to prevent FASD.
Demonstrating a total lack of commitment to preventing FASD, two of the industry submissions even talk down the need for action, suggesting current activities to prevent FASD are sufficient.

FARE Chief Executive, Michael Thorn said it is crucial that none of the industry’s unsubstantiated claims go unchallenged.
“This is not simply ‘claim’ and ‘counter claim’. This is about separating the facts from the industry fiction. The alcohol industry is so hell bent on putting profit ahead of public health that it’s prepared to bend or even disregard the truth completely, to suit its own agenda,” Mr Thorn said. …
(Source: Alcohol Reports, 05/23/12) fare.org.au, Media Release, 05/24/12

A focus on excise duty pass-through, on- and off-trade sales, price promotions and pricing regulations
Prepared for the European Commission, DG SANCO and the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers Contract Reference N° SC2010 63 06

Policies related to alcohol pricing, promotion and discounts provide opportunities to address harms associated with alcohol consumption. However, there are important gaps in information and knowledge about various policy-relevant aspects of alcohol retail and pricing. This information could help governments to plan their alcohol strategies better and develop evidence-based policies.
To address these knowledge gaps, this report presents findings from our research, which focused on the following four areas of inquiry:
· the link between changes in excise duties and changes in alcohol consumer prices
· the trends in the ratio of on-trade to off-trade consumption of alcohol, and their drivers
· the scale of alcohol price promotions and discounts in the on- and off-trade across the EU
· regulations in Member States on price promotions and discounts, their compliance and effectiveness. …

(Source: DG Health & Consumers website (23-05-2012 full text, pdf) RAND Corporation, Arlington VA 22202, United States)

The European Centre for Monitoring Alcohol Monitoring (EUCAM) has delivered a luke warm response to the Responsible Marketing Pact. The pact was trumpeted to be the first time that common standards would be implemented throughout the EU. The standards would protect young people from undue exposure to alcohol and prohibit marketing being directed at minors. The alcohol industry had claimed that self-regulation is working, and should be expanded.

However AMMIE (Alcohol Marketing Monitoring in Europe) at the EUCAM conference in March, warned against mere „window dressing“ and called for an outright ban on advertising. Their research showed that on average each minor in the 5 countries they researched (Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Bulgaria and Denmark) were exposed to 44 alcohol commercials in 2 months. They noted numerous violations of the 30% rule, whereby advertising should only be allowed where under 30% of the population are minors. In practice, they insist, there is nowhere in Europe where there is a population group consisting of more than 30% minors, meaning that alcohol advertising can go unchecked. …
(Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 05/22/12) EUCAM Newsletter May 2012

Alcohol advertising should be banned in Europe in a bid to drive down excess boozing and associated ill health across the continent, concludes an alliance of experts in a new policy brief.

Alcohol is Europe’s most persistent and devastating addiction problem, says the Addiction and Lifestyles in Contemporary Europe – Reframing Addictions Project (ALICE-RAP), which brings together a network of over 150 researchers with expertise in many different aspects of addiction, including the social and economic impact. …

The briefing notes that the most effective and fairest policies are those which nudge people towards lower consumption, through price hikes, restrictions on availability, and advertising bans.

A minimum unit price, which the Scottish government announced its intention to introduce earlier this week, is supported by research, says the briefing. Scotland has opted for a 50 pence minimum unit price, while England is considering a 40 pence option. …

The evidence shows that alcohol adverts push people into higher and more harmful levels of consumption and trigger relapse among those trying to give up booze. Furthermore, it can encourage young people to start drinking, says the brief, which advocates a wholesale ban.

“Europeans drink more than twice the world’s average and alcohol represents the number one addiction problem in Europe today, greater than any other drug or gambling, “ said Dr Peter Anderson, Professor of Substance Use, Policy and Practice, Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, and co-leader of the project, speaking at the report’s launch yesterday.

“Our aim with this policy brief is to help decision makers across the EU and beyond break the negative pattern of harmful alcohol consumption and costs by providing much needed scientific input to the discussion, which has long been dominated by the alcohol industry lobbyists,” he added.
(Source: Alcohol Reports, News, 05/21/12) onmedica.com, 05/17/12

Comment: Unfortunately many politicians do not like scientific input.

One in eight deaths of UK adults under the age of 64 is caused by alcohol, an international conference on tackling problem drinking has heard.

The social cost of alcohol abuse has been estimated to be £240 a year for each European, with the annual bill for the NHS alone being £2.7 billion.

A major conference of addiction specialists from across the world is meeting at Newcastle University and organisers have called for England to follow Scotland and set a minimum price per unit.

They have also demanded a ban on advertising alcohol.
Too easy: Prof Eileen Kaner from Newcastle University said the government had to be bolder about tackling cheap alcoholl

In Europe, alcohol consumption is more than twice the global average and it represents the biggest addiction in the UK, greater than any illegal drug or gambling.

(Source: Alcohol Reports, News, 05/21/12) dailymail.co.uk, 05/16/12