Alcohol use and alcohol consumption is the third leading risk for burden of disease in Europe and is
almost double the global average.
The European Region was the first WHO region to adopt a policy
instrument for Member States in 1992 and most recently, an action plan for the implementation
of the global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol in 2011.
An important task for the WHO Regional Office for Europe is to monitor the progress, the impact
and the implementation of the action plan.
In 2002, the Office established the European information
system on alcohol and health, which is now part of a global information system.
In Europe, the
database includes a number of Europe-specific indicators and since 2008 it has been developed
in collaboration with the European Commission.
The information collected is therefore, used
to monitor both the European Union’s (EU) alcohol strategy and WHO’s European action plan to
reduce the harmful use of alcohol 2012–2020.
In developing the European information system on alcohol and health, the WHO Regional Office
for Europe supports the WHO Health 2020 process and Member States by actively compiling,
disseminating and granting easy access to alcohol-related information on consumption, harm
and policy responses.
WHO receives co-funding from the European Union in the frame of a EU
Contribution Agreement with WHO Regional Office for Europe on the
further development of joint data gathering and common knowledge base
relating to alcohol situation and alcohol policies in the EU Member
States (EISAH).
The report above was created under this contribution agreement
