Alcohol on the European Union´s political agenda : getting off the policy

Abstract

NORSK SAMMENDRAG: Norges tilknytning til det indre marked gjennom EØS-avtalen som trådde i kraft i 1994, samt Sverige og Finlands medlemskap i EU fra 1995 har hatt stor betydning for alkoholpolitikken i disse landene. Deler av de statlige alkoholmonopolene har blitt avviklet, og pris- og avgiftsinstrumentet er i dag et mindre effektivt virkemiddel i bestrebelsene etter å redusere de alkoholrelaterte skadene i samfunnet som følge av tilpasninger til EU’s regelverk og økt grensehandel. På den annen side har oppmerksomheten omkring alkoholpolitiske saker i EU økt over tid. Målsettingen med denne rapporten er å øke forståelsen av hvorfor alkoholpolitikk har fått en mer sentral plass på dagsordenen, samt å diskutere hvilken status dette politikkområdet har i EU. Rapporten illustrerer at de de nordiske land har spilt sentrale roller i prosessen med å sette alkohol og helse på dagsordenen, og at alkoholpolitikk i økende grad har blitt institusjonalisert i EU.

ENGLISH SUMMARY: In 2004, a European Commission official argued that political developments had put alcohol policy “high on the European Union’s political agenda”, a claim which is assessed in this report. The discussions focus on two main questions: first, why has alcohol policy ended up as a topic for the EU? Second, what status does alcohol policy have on the EU’s political agenda? The main argument advanced in this report is that alcohol policy ended up on the EU’s political agenda because a determined group of policy “entrepreneurs” managed to draw widespread public attention to a set of shared problems pertaining to alcohol, health, and social welfare in Europe. In particular, the European Commission successfully exploited a window of opportunity for alcohol policy developments after several EU institutions, member-states and non-governmental organizations had successfully raised concerns about under-age drinking and intoxication since the mid 1990s. The Nordic countries have also played crucial roles in this process—the EU members, Finland and Sweden, through more formal policy-making processes, while Norway, as a non-member, has relied more on informal mechanisms in order to put alcohol and health more firmly on the EU policy agenda. The attention devoted to alcohol policy by the EU has been unstable and transient. Periodic occurrences of acute awareness and concern about alcohol policy tend to quickly fade from the EU’s agenda. However, several EU forums and committees that deal specifically with alcohol policy have recently been established. This report suggests that these institutional advancements can, over time, help sustain and stabilize interest in alcohol policy and, thereby, creating a long-term commitment and approach towards reducing alcohol related harm in the EU.