Together with the AMPHORA project, the support of Eurocare and the Alcohol Policy Network, and with financial support from the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, the Swedish National Institute of Public Health, and IOGT-NTO, the Swedish Society of Medicine is hosting a symposium, debate and conference that runs from 17 till 20 October to support a dialogue between alcohol science and policy and to inform Future directions of European actions.
This European conference is intended to share the outcomes of the AMPHORA project and discuss their value for national and local policies and practices. The conference will be an active meeting to stimulate debate among invited delegates from European countries and networks about the best opportunities and innovative strategies to be more successful. The conference offers a major opportunity to share learning experiences and innovative ideas across countries about enhancing evidence-based policies and practices.
AMPHORA is a Europe wide project running from 2009 to end of 2012, involving researches and research institutions from 12 European countries, and counterparts and organizations from all 27 Member States, that is providing new scientific evidence for the best public health measures to reduce the harm done by alcohol through addressing social and cultural determinants, marketing and advertising, taxes and pricing, availability and access, early diagnosis and treatment of disease, interventions in drinking environments, and safer untaxed alcohol products.
A European database on evidence-based policies and programmes to reduce the harm done by alcohol will be launched at the conference. Participants are invited to contribute to the formulation of a Europe-wide strategy to improve the health and well-being of European citizens using evidence-based policies and programs.
The invitational conference is targeted at policy makers, managers, program directors, and scientists in the fields of public health, health promotion, prevention, and related public sectors. From each of 30 European countries, a group of representatives, free of influence from the alcohol industry, will be invited. In addition, representatives from European organizations and networks active in alcohol policy, free of influence from the alcohol industry, will be invited to participate.
The conference will also result in producing the AMPHORA Manifesto on Alcohol Policy, in which 71 scientists from 33 organizations from 14 European countries provide a base of understanding of alcohol policy and what it entails, encourage rethinking the dynamics of policymaking and the necessary actions across different levels and sectors of society.
The full program of the Alcohol Policy Conference can be downloaded here