The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) announced that it will be supporting EU Awareness Week on Alcohol related Harm (AWARH), taking place from 16-20 November 2015. Through a range of activities, AWARH seeks to highlight the negative effects of alcohol and call for greater policy action to address the problems it can cause.
More effective EU action needed
There is particular focus on the promotion of more effective EU level action on alcohol harm. EU alcohol strategy expired in 2012 and has not been replaced, the EU Alcohol Forum (of which the RCP was a founding member) is currently suspended following the protest resignation of RCP and other health organisations, and the long awaited EU report on health labeling of alcohol has just been delayed once again.
Earlier this year, RCP joined forces with European alcohol, public health, patient and health professional groups in Brussels to lobby MEPs ahead of a key European Parliament vote on EU alcohol strategy.
