WHO is the most active international body on alcohol issues

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been the most active international body on alcohol. In 1979 the WHO World Assembly already spoke about the problems related to alcohol (Anderson & Baumberg, 2006). The first WHO regional office to launch an action plan on alcohol was the Regional Office for Europe in 1992. Another action plan, a charter and a Declaration on Young People and Alcohol followed, offering guidance for the development and implementation of alcohol policies in European countries (WHO, 2006c). The 1995 European Charter on Alcohol was based on 5 principles that still form the basis of the WHO alcohol policy (WHO, 1995e) .

The Framework for Alcohol Policy in the WHO European Region, of 2006, is the most recent WHO-Europe communication on alcohol policy. It states that there is a need for concerted action at a supra-national level, especially because national policy initiatives are being increasingly hampered by trade agreements, common markets and increased globalisation, despite society’s growing recognition of alcohol related problems and the growing awareness of available cost-effective measures (WHO, 2006c). The framework also identifies the need for coordinated and strategic national efforts. See Core areas and instruments for national action for more information on the latter.

National health policies are influenced by international treaties

Health policies of EU member states are influenced by international trade treaties, established by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Treaties dealing with goods (GATT), and treaties dealing with services (GATS) are the most prominent international legal obligations. Common practice shows that the WTO will prioritise health over trade in some circumstances, but for this to be the case the health policies concerned must pass a series of strict tests. For example there needs to be proof that they serve a legitimate purpose and that no alternative measure is available that is less commercially restrictive (Anderson & Baumberg, 2006; Grieshaber-Otto, 2004). The impact that WTO treaties will have on health in the long run is unpredictable. Negotiations are ongoing and the economic and political values in relation to free trade do not always prove to be compatible with public health values (Anderson & Baumberg, 2006; Babor, 2002).