The European Parliament ,

–   having regard to Article 152 of the EC Treaty,

–   having regard to the Commission Communication on an EU strategy to support Member States in reducing alcohol related harm (COM(2006)0625),

–   having regard to Council Recommendation 2001/458/EC of 5 June 2001 on the drinking of alcohol by young people, in particular children and adolescents(1) ,

–   having regard to the Council Conclusions of 5 June 2001 on a Community Strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm(2) ,

–   having regard to Commission Recommendation 2004/345/EC of 6 April 2004 on enforcement in the field of road safety(3) ,

–   having regard to the Declaration on Young People and Alcohol adopted at the World Health Organisation (WHO) European Ministerial Conference on Young People and Alcohol, held in Stockholm on 19-21 February 2001,

–   having regard to various judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Communities (Franzén (C-189/95), Heinonen (C-394/97), Gourmet (C-405/98), Loi Evin (C-262/02 and C-429/02),

–   having regard to the WHO resolution of 25 May 2005 on Public-health problems caused by harmful use of alcohol (WHA 58.26),

–   having regard to target 12 of WHO's Health 21 policy framework of 1999 and the European Alcohol Action Plan 2000-2005 adopted by WHO European Region in 1999,

–   having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (A6-0303/2007),

A.   whereas the terminology to be used when discussing alcohol-related harm should be based on official terminology as established by the WHO so as to avoid ambiguous wording and meaning,

B.   whereas the problem of hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption, especially among young people, is evident at European level, whereas such consumption damages the human organism, in particular in children and young people, and causes deaths through related diseases and accidents as well as social problems and crime, while also doing great damage to the European economy, and whereas the need to implement evidence-based alcohol policies is nowadays a priority for all Member States,

C.   whereas hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption is an important health determinant and a threat to public health, which is responsible for a wide range of health and social harm,

D.   whereas Article 152 of the Treaty states the competence and the responsibility of the European Community to address public health problems by complementing national actions in this field; whereas work at EU level to identify and disseminate best practices, which has produced positive results in this field, is an important complement to national policy measures, whereas consideration of effective national action plans should be used as a basis for similar measures in other Member States and create synergies at national level,

E.   whereas economic and social factors (workplace stress, excessive workloads, unemployment, job insecurity, etc) can play a key role in hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption and in precipitating alcohol dependence,

F.   whereas the Member States are employing a variety of strategies to prevent hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption and/or reduce alcohol-related health problems,

G.   whereas it is desirable that the European Community formulates general objectives for curbing the harmful effects of hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption in the Member States and is able to undertake measures in close cooperation with Member States in order to prevent alcohol-related harm affecting both drinkers and third parties, which includes harmful effects on health, such as foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), hepatic diseases, cancer, increased blood pressure and heart attacks, and traffic accidents and accidents in the workplace, but also social harm, such as domestic and family violence, child neglect, unemployment, poverty, social stigma and social exclusion,

H.   whereas the Court of Justice of the European Communities has repeatedly confirmed that combating alcohol-related harm is an important and valid public health goal,

I.   whereas, although the same worrying drinking patterns are being seen among young people in the different Member States, drinking patterns and traditions vary between different parts of the European Union, a fact which should be taken into account when formulating a European approach to alcohol-related problems, to enable each Member State to tailor its response to the problems and the nature of the alcohol-related harm involved; whereas a single, uniform alcohol policy for all Member States would not be possible, whereas there are still a number of alcohol policy issues which cross borders and make the implementation of national alcohol policy increasingly difficult for individual Member States; whereas there is therefore a need for concerted action at EU level; whereas the Commission should urge Member States to pursue an effective and ambitious policy of combating hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption, and should give the Member States as much support as possible in doing so,

J.   whereas political measures at national or EU level can never be a substitute for the responsibility for moderate and limited alcohol consumption, which ultimately lies with the individual and the family,

K.   whereas guidelines for low-risk consumption may be indicated through campaigns across Europe addressed to the public and adapted to the specific circumstances of the Member States; whereas strong, targeted measures should be undertaken to prevent hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption among drivers and workers, whereas measures should also be taken to prevent the consumption of alcohol by minors and pregnant women,

L.   whereas society pays a major part of the costs of hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption; whereas, as a consequence, everybody would benefit from an efficient reduction of alcohol-related harm, whereas it is therefore reasonable to adopt certain limitations to the access to alcoholic beverages,

M.   whereas health claims may not be made at all on alcoholic beverages and nutrition claims only in exceptional cases, as laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods(4) ,

N.   whereas alcohol consumption influences considerably the metabolism of various nutrients; whereas alcohol consumption exerts an influence on the action of various medicines because of the existing interaction between them,

O.   whereas the damaging effects of alcohol consumption on the liver have been well established, as well as the detrimental effects on the central and peripheral nervous systems, and increasingly so in today's ageing society,

1.  Welcomes the Commission approach taken in the Communication on the hazardous and harmful consumption of alcohol and its harmful health consequences; calls, however, on the Commission, while not undermining the subsidiarity principle, to formulate ambitious general objectives for the Member States with a view to curbing hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption; calls on the Member States to pay particular attention to vulnerable social groups, such as children, young people and pregnant women, and to address the problems of hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption by young people, workers and drivers by means of information and awareness-raising campaigns and, where appropriate, a review of compliance with existing national laws;

2.  Acknowledges that alcohol consumption can be considered as a part of the European cultural heritage and life style; acknowledges that low alcohol consumption, i.e. 10 grams per day according to WHO's European Alcohol Action Plan 2000-2005, may under certain conditions help to prevent cardiovascular diseases and ischemia in some middle-aged individuals; recognises that while moderate consumers represent the majority of alcohol consumers, hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption is a significant behavioural pattern;

3.  Points out that hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption occurs in all social groups and is caused by a wide variety of factors, making a comprehensive approach to combating this problem essential;

4.  Acknowledges that interventions based on proper scientific evaluation are necessary if hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption is to be effectively reduced; considers that, since alcohol is one of the most significant health determinants, it is very important to collect data across the European Union and especially data on the correlation between levels of alcohol and road accidents, alcohol and liver diseases, and alcohol and neuropsychological disturbances, syndromes and diseases; therefore invites Member States and all stakeholders to increase resources dedicated to collection of data and improving the efficiency of information, and to prevention campaigns and programmes;

5.  Points out that the most urgent problems of hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption are related to the effects of alcohol on young people, who are more vulnerable to physical and emotional suffering as well as to social harm from their own or other people's drinking;

6.  Is worried about the increase in alcohol consumption among minors and young people and notes a worrying trend on their part to start drinking at an ever-earlier age and, given their greater willingness to take risks, to engage in dangerous forms of behaviour such as binge drinking, other forms of hazardous alcohol consumption which aim at drunkenness, mixed consumption of alcohol and drugs, and driving whilst under the influence of alcohol and drugs;

7.  Stresses that young adolescents tend to increase their alcohol consumption when entering university life; considers that increased efforts at universities may contribute to lowering the number of heavy consumers of alcohol in the future; therefore calls on the Member States to intensify their prevention programmes in this area;

8.  Calls on the Commission to list and quantify the concrete harmful effects of alcohol consumption among young people in the Member States with a view to subsequently formulating European objectives for Member States aimed at curbing hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption by young people with Member States committing themselves to reducing these harmful effects at European level, taking into account the efforts already undertaken,

9.  Without prejudice to any obligations imposed by Community legislation, stresses that the Member States are free to determine the form of measures to be taken at national level, but that they should report to the Commission on the progress made in combating hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption among young people,

10.  Notes that the Commission has a supporting role to play in the achievement of the European objectives by helping the Member States to exchange knowledge and best practices and to carry out European research on combating the harmful effects of alcohol consumption by young people;

11.  Calls on the Commission and Member States, with the involvement of relevant non-governmental organisations and economic associations in the context of the European Alcohol and Health Forum which was recently created following an initiative by the Commission, to encourage the exchange of proven practices, in particular with a view to preventing hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption among children and young people, and to adopt the following measures:

12.  Calls on the Commission to quantify the incidence of FAS (Foetal Alcohol Syndrome) and FASD (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) in the Member States with a view to subsequently formulating European objectives for the Member States aimed at curbing FAS and FASD, with Member States committing themselves to reducing their incidence at European level, taking into account the efforts already undertaken,

13.  Without prejudice to any obligations imposed by Community legislation, stresses that the Member States are free to determine the substance of the measures to be taken at national level, but that they should report to the Commission on the progress made in combating FAS and FASD,

14.  Notes that the Commission has a supporting role to play in the achievement of the European objectives by helping the Member States to exchange knowledge and best practices and to carry out European research on combating FAS and FASD;

15.  Takes the view that both women and men should be better informed about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy and about FASD in particular, in order to avoid new-born babies and adolescents being affected by diseases and developmental delays caused by alcohol use during pregnancy; emphasises that appropriate communication may prevent women from drinking alcohol before and during pregnancy; notes that, for problem drinkers, further support during pregnancy and follow-up after birth may be necessary; further suggests that gynaecologists and antenatal clinics should be trained to identify potential cases of hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption as early as possible and to support these women to give up alcohol completely during their pregnancy;

16.  Takes the view that men should be better informed about the link between alcohol consumption and impotence;

17.  Stresses that alcohol advertising and marketing practices should not be directed at minors;

18.  Asks the Commission and the Member States to draw up guidelines for the advertising of alcoholic beverages on television and to ensure the implementation of the new Television Without Frontiers Directive once it is adopted; asks the Commission to encourage audiovisual media service providers to include in their codes of practice rules on the scheduling of alcoholic beverage commercials;

19.  Welcomes and supports the self-regulation undertakings given, for example, by the advertising industry and alcoholic beverage producers; in that connection, calls on the Commission and the Member States to check that these undertakings are honoured and, if they are not, to impose penalties;

20.  Points out that Member States are currently able to introduce obligatory health warnings for alcoholic beverages; recalls that front of pack labels may include the warnings that alcohol can cause serious health and mental health problems, that alcohol is addictive and that alcohol consumption during pregnancy may be harmful to the foetus; notes that the existence of different national labelling requirements has clear implications for the EU internal market; urges the Commission to initiate a comparative study on impact and effectiveness of various information and communication means, including labelling and advertising, applied in Member States with a view to reducing hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption, and to publish the results before 31 December 2009;

21.  Calls on the Commission to promote initiatives aimed at exchanging best medical practices in a variety of healthcare settings as well as promoting independent and impartial information campaigns designed to raise awareness about the risks of hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption; campaigns should also be directed towards people vulnerable to neuropsychological disturbances, syndromes and diseases and to people who are old, lonely, separated or isolated, as they are more exposed to seeking relief in alcohol consumption, thereby further damaging their condition and increasing their risk of suffering neuropsychological disturbances, syndromes and diseases;

22.  At the same time, asks the Commission to promote the spread of instruments such as the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) developed by WHO, which allow the quick identification of people who are at risk even before they acknowledge having a problem with alcohol; points out that timely informal discussion between general practitioners and patients is one of the most efficient tools to inform patients about the risks linked to hazardous and harmful consumption of alcohol and to promote the necessary behavioural changes in problem drinkers; calls on Member States to support the qualification of doctors (GPs) on alcohol problems and disorders and adequate interventions;

23.  Considers that the Commission and Member States should undertake the necessary measures to tackle harmful social impacts of alcohol, such as bullying and domestic violence; asks for more social and psychological support for families which suffer from hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption; calls for special social assistance for children that live in a family with alcohol-related problems; proposes the institution of an emergency number to denounce alcohol-related abuse in the family;

24.  Is concerned at the heavy alcohol consumption of many elderly people, which is often prompted by physical pain or feelings of loneliness and hopelessness; points out that alcohol problems in old age represent an important issue which is becoming more pressing as a result of demographic ageing;

25.  Takes the view that increased knowledge about alcohol consumption and its relation to sick leave, long-term sick leave and early retirement is necessary; considers it important, in respect of Community and Member States" employment law, to address drinking problems at the workplace by encouraging persons concerned to seek help, but recalls that this should always be done with due regard for the privacy and the rights of the individual; urges employers to pay particular attention to hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption within the workplace by running preventive educational programmes and providing assistance to workers with alcohol problems;

26.  Is convinced that reducing the number of road accidents and related harm caused by alcohol (17 000 deaths per year) is a priority for the European Union; therefore

27.  In order to better address the risks related to hazardous and harmful use of alcohol on the road, the following measures should be adopted:

28.  Stresses that all effective measures to avoid drink-driving should be promoted; urges the further development of alcohol lock systems and other instruments which mechanically prevent drink-driving, notably for professional drivers;

29.  Invites the Commission to launch impartial and independent information campaigns, or to support such campaigns conducted by Member States, in collaboration with interest groups, promoting responsibility and moderation in consumption and highlighting the negative impacts of hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption on physical and mental health as well as on social well-being;

30.  Invites the Commission and the Member States to step up and coordinate their respective activities aimed at combating various forms of addiction and to submit, by 2010, an exhaustive general survey of hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption patterns and addictive behaviour and the causes thereof;

31.  Urges Member States to tackle the problem of illegal and black market sales of alcohol, to control the quality of the alcohol sold and to intensify controls on home-made alcohol products (such as distilled products) which can be lethal for human life;

32.  Invites all stakeholders to promote, within the European Alcohol and Health Forum, the implementation of concrete actions and programmes to tackle alcohol-related harm, given that the main objective of the Forum would be to exchange best practice, collect commitment to engage in actions, secure proper evaluation of the actions and monitor their effective implementation; looks to the Commission also to involve representatives of Parliament in the European Alcohol and Health Forum and to submit annual reports to it on the progress made by the Forum;

33.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission and to the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

(1) OJ L 161, 16.6.2001, p. 38. (2) OJ C 175, 20.6.2001, p. 1. (3) OJ L 111, 17.4.2004, p. 75. (4) OJ L 404, 30.12.2006, p. 9; corrigendum in OJ L 12, 18.1.2007, p. 3. (5) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2007)0009.