Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-04-Speech-2-351"
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"en.20070904.28.2-351"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, I believe alcohol was dangerous in the past and alcohol is dangerous today. In paragraph 5.4.1 of its proposal the Commission rightly states that moderate alcohol consumption appears to offer some protection against coronary heart disease among people over the age of 45, but I believe it is a myth, based on very weak scientific foundations, to say that a little alcohol is good for you. Alcohol is dangerous. It is a poison and even small quantities affect health. Of course tolerance thresholds must be laid down.
We in the various European countries have learned how to handle the drug that is alcohol. The British, for instance, seen in terms of consumer habits, are what is called binge drinkers. Consumption per capita is relatively low, yet there are sometimes these excesses, which lead to serious damage. We in Austria are so-called integrative drinkers. We have a relatively high per capita alcohol consumption but fewer excesses. There are, therefore, very wide national differences depending on national historical developments.
The Commission is taking the right approach to the problem. It is saying that it will not relieve the Member States of their responsibility. Yet there are European tasks that can be tackled together. One example is the attempt to create a proper database. The statistics vary widely. It is a mistake to believe that we saw less alcohol-related damage in the past. The diagnostic approach was different at the time, and there was less public awareness of the issue.
That is why I believe it is important for us in Europe to know what we are actually talking about. It is also important to tackle new phenomena in consumption patterns. One is the fact that growing numbers of young people begin to drink at a very early age, which causes very serious harm. On the question of labelling in general, let me say that I think that falls short of what we need. It would be wrong to believe that a phenomenon as complex as alcohol consumption can be resolved simply by putting a label on a bottle. That would be an easy way of shirking our political responsibility."@en1
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