Alcohol Prevention Peer Reviews

Who?

The project ‘Building Capacity: Implementing Coordinated Alcohol Policy Across Europe’, with 31 country partners and 10 European organizations, including AER, supported the European Commission in its Communication on alcohol, helping to reduce the €125bn of social costs due to alcohol each year in the EU. The project was coordinated by the Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Slovenia, with the full endorsement and support of the Ministry of Health of Slovenia. All the partners can be found on the Project website:
• lead partner,
• country partners
• collaborating partners,
• work package leaders.

What?

As part of the Building Capacity project, the AER Alcohol Peer Reviews brought together regions that were interested in understanding the social and economic harm caused by alcohol and that wanted to take action. Regions held discussion about the problems they perceive in their territories and exchanged ideas and experience on how best to prevent alcohol-related harm. The aims of the project were:
• To establish a network of regions active in the field of preventing alcohol-related harm
• To support regions in improving their policies for the prevention of alcohol-related harm
• To catalogue best practice in preventing alcohol-related harm.

When?

The project was co-financed under the European Public Health Programme 2008-2013. The Health Programme 2008-2013 was managed by the Commission with the assistance of the Consumers, Health and Food Executive Agency (Chafea). Peer reviews were carried out between 2007 and 2010.

Why?

The peers’ meetings were for responding to the changing and increasingly concerning patterns of alcohol consumption among young people. What were the key trends in alcohol consumption? And what could regions do to prevent harm?
Regional experts met their peers, as well as external experts, to discuss what can be done by regional authorities. The focus was on diverse topics, namely:
• traffic (drink driving)
• availability
• children & young people
• pregnancy & nursing
• early identification & brief intervention in primary healthcare.

What is AER’s role and how to get involved?
AER was partner in this project, leading Work Package 8 ‘Supporting regional alcohol policy development’. AER organised 4 peer reviews between 2007 and 2010. The following activities were carried out: • Creation of a network of regions, including politicians, experts, NGOs, working for the prevention of alcohol-related harm • Awareness-raising on potential harm and how best to improve regional policies • Evaluation of each regions’ policies and its implementation during biannual peer reviews • Publication of a report on best practices and proposals for improvements at the end of the project. Special focus was on young people and cooperation was with the AER Youth Team which had the task of evaluating communication policies on preventing alcohol-related harm which targeted young people. A leaflet was published at the end of the project.
Factsheets are available on the old AER website..

What is AER’s role and how to get involved?

AER was partner in this project, leading Work Package 8 ‘Supporting regional alcohol policy development’. AER organised 4 peer reviews between 2007 and 2010. The following activities were carried out:
• Creation of a network of regions, including politicians, experts, NGOs, working for the prevention of alcohol-related harm
• Awareness-raising on potential harm and how best to improve regional policies
• Evaluation of each regions’ policies and its implementation during biannual peer reviews
• Publication of a report on best practices and proposals for improvements at the end of the project.
Special focus was on young people and cooperation was with the AER Youth Team which had the task of evaluating communication policies on preventing alcohol-related harm which targeted young people. A leaflet was published at the end of the project.

Factsheets are available on the old AER website..