The report's public health conclusions stress that alcohol policy does not need to affect the role that alcohol plays in Europe's economy. Review of existing studies show that the total tangible cost of alcohol to EU amounted to 1.3% of GDP in 2003, equivalent of the burden caused by tobacco. Costs come from ill health caused by alcohol, lost productivity through absenteeism, unemployment and lost working years through premature death. The report states that over 10% of youth female mortality and around 25% of youth male mortality are due to alcohol.
The report argues that many aspects of drinking are much more similar across Europe than commonly believed. Especially adolescent binge drinking has increased in most countries in the 1990s. Around 44% of alcohol is consumed in form of beer, 34% in form of wine and 23% in spirits.
Among the recommendations to reduce harmful drinking is establishment of broad educational programmes, from early childhood on, to inform young people of the consequences of alcohol consumption on health, family and society.
The report suggests also that containers of alcoholic products should carry warnings describing the harmful effects of alcohol and recommends restrictions on alcohol product packaging and labelling, to avoid false impression about products' characteristics and make them less appealing to minors.
The EU may not have competence on health issues, but it managed to impose EU-wide health warnings on packages of cigarrette.
