European alcohol policy has failed

1 June 2012

The European Union has an alcohol problem: we drink an average of 12 to 13 litres of pure alcohol a year per person aged 15 and up, a quantity which has stayed constant over the past decade. This is partly because EU countries have deployed the wrong policy measures to reduce consumption in recent years.

The focus has been mainly on education (for young people) and more ‘community action’, while little attention has been devoted to pricing and advertising policy, which research has shown to be more effective measures. This is argued by Professor Peter Anderson in his inaugural lecture on Wednesday 30 May, in assuming the position of Extraordinary Professor of Alcohol and Health at Maastricht University.

Source: Maastricht University.

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