Suzanne Costello, Alcohol Action Ireland CEO, has attended the Estonian EU Presidency’s conference on alcohol policy in Tallinn. The aim of the conference is to reduce alcohol related harm in the EU by strengthening member states’ capacities for implementing effective health policy and tackling cross-border issues.
During the conference, experts from different fields and policy makers to discuss the aspects of alcohol policy where regional or EU wide cooperation is needed to succeed in reducing the alcohol-related harm in Europe.
Commenting on the conference’s objective, Suzanne Costello said:
‘Most EU member states have their own national alcohol policy but achieving the goal of reducing the harmful use of alcohol is not easy. Europe is still the region with the highest alcohol consumption in the world, and the alcohol-related harm to families and society as a whole continues to be high.
In Ireland, we are acutely aware of these harms, and the Public Health Alcohol Bill remains a crucial public health policy instrument to tackle these concerns. Its successful passage through our parliament will act as positive guidance to other EU member states and demonstrate that courageous legislative measures are possible’.
