It has been established that 200,000 EU citizens die from alcohol-related causes each year. This makes alcohol abuse the third highest cause of death, immediately after high blood pressure and tobacco, among EU member states.
It has long been known that Europe is the highest-drinking region in the world, with a per capita consumption that is practically double that of Africa, for example.
Health problems, road accidents and at the place of work are just some of the effects of alcohol abuse. The cost of alcohol abuse both in human and financial terms is substantial. Suffice it to say, for example, that, in 2010, the total cost of alcohol-related harm in the EU region was estimated to be €155.7 billion.
In 2006, the EU launched an alcohol strategy aimed at encouraging and supporting the introduction of policies intended to reduce alcohol-related harm in member states.
Member states took up the challenge and introduced initiatives to further strengthen the efforts already in place to address the issue of the abuse of alcohol.
The strategy was independently evaluated and found to have been instrumental in inspiring and supporting change in the alcohol policies of member states.
The strategy ended in 2012. Then, in January 2014, the European Commission and EU member states launched a joint project that was known as Reducing Alcohol Related Harm (RARHA).
Thirty-two health and social welfare organisations from virtually all EU countries, as well as Norway, Switzerland and Iceland, are taking part.
This project, which costs €3 million, is being funded partly by the European Commission and partly by the participating entities. Malta is represented by the Foundation for Social Welfare Services.
In 2010, the cost of alcohol-related harm in EU region was put at €155.7 billion
The participating entities (or the associate partners) are all expected to participate in three ‘work packages’ within this joint action, namely coordination, dissemination and evaluation.
Moreover, each partner is further collaborating in at least one of the following areas: data collection of drinking patterns, setting up of guidelines to reduce alcohol-related harm, and the development of a toolkit of prevention measures known to be effective.
Malta is taking part in the work package that is related to the establishment of drinking guidelines.
This work package intends to come up with scientifically-based amounts of alcohol that can be consumed by the various groups (adults, young people, pregnant women, older citizens) without them incurring too much risk to their health and general well-being.
At present, there is a very substantial difference between the limits recommended in various European countries and this project hopes to bring about a greater degree of uniformity in the advice being dispensed by the national health authorities. However, this project is not expected to produce limits to which each country will be obliged to adhere to in its advice.
On the contrary, with deference to the principle of subsidiarity, the national health and prevention authorities will, ultimately, be free to recommend the limits they deem fit.
This RARHA work package will simply, but, at the same time, crucially, supply a scientifically-credible information-base on which individual countries can base their own recommendations.
By the end of 2016, when the RARHA joint action project is set to end, it will have gathered substantial amounts of essential information and developed research-based tools to pave the way for the launch of an EU alcohol strategy, should the European Commission decide to go along with what member states have requested.
It is quite significant that member states themselves are practically demanding that the EU provides support, encouragement, advice and inspiration in the form of another alcohol strategy. The various national authorities are aware that such strategy would be a very important reference point for them.
RARHA will be the source of vital information on which national alcohol policies, inspired by the future EU alcohol strategy and designed to counter the harm resulting from the abuse of alcohol, can be based.
Manuel Mangani is manager, Aġenzija Sedqa.