Alcohol-related harm is a major public health concern in the EU. The WHO European region has the highest level of consumption of alcoholic beverages, responsible for 1 in every 10 deaths annually, almost 1 million deaths in total.  

 Alcohol is a risk factor for many chronic diseases. Approximately 268,000 deaths and almost 8 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years (years of life lost) attributable to alcohol consumption in the EU in 2019 are related to non-communicable diseases.  

Increased prevention efforts are vital to reverse the burden that alcohol consumption presents for our societies. ECDA welcomes the Oslo Declaration, which recognises these risks and calls for greater EU support in preventing alcohol consumption. It would bring significant health, economic and societal benefits, and is integral to managing and reducing the prevalence of major NCDs.  

 To reduce alcohol-related harm, the Oslo Declaration identifies seven policy recommendations: 

Read the Oslo Declaration: 

1. National governments and the EU should regulate alcohol based on the WHO’s evidence-based Global Alcohol Action Plan to achieve its ambitious targets by 2030.
2. National governments should cooperate to implement the evidence-based WHO Best Buys and SAFER recommendations, focussed on price, availability and marketing of alcohol.
3. EU level regulation should reflect public support for mandatory ingredient, nutrition declaration and warning labels on alcohol products, so empowering properly informed consumer decisions.
4. National governments and the EU should make sure that health policy-making processes are protected from alcohol industry interference.
5. National governments should tax alcohol products related to alcohol content. This should be index-linked and increased regularly in line with economic and health indicators.
6. National governments should restrict or ban the marketing exposure of alcohol products, particularly to young people and children and other vulnerable groups.
7. Governments should recognise and support the pivotal role of civil society organisations in preventing and reducing alcohol harm.