Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2015-04-27-Speech-1-084-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20150427.16.1-084-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, as the Commissioner has said, Europe is still the heaviest—drinking region in the world, and in Europe alcohol remains the third biggest cause of preventable death and disease.
The social costs of alcohol-related harm are estimated to be over EUR 155 billion every year. I think Members will agree that this is quite alarming and shows the need for urgent action to reduce alcohol consumption and the harm it causes. Yet the EU’s previous alcohol strategy ended in 2012 and still we are waiting for a new one. We are also waiting for the Commission’s report on extending food labelling rules to cover alcohol. This was due by the end of last year. So it does not feel as though the Commission is taking this problem really seriously.
My question is, why can we not have calories labelled on all alcoholic drinks? Why should alcohol be treated any differently to everything else? It does seem strange to me that we know how many calories are in a can of coke or a glass of orange juice and yet we are not told the calories in a large glass of wine, which are actually the same as in a slice of cake. Now you may prefer a glass of wine to a slice of cake – sometimes I do – but you need the information to make that choice.
One really important issue is to have clear warnings on the dangers of drinking whilst pregnant, because there is overwhelming evidence of the dangers of alcohol to the unborn child. Let me be clear, this is not about attacking our culture or trying to stop Europeans from enjoying a glass of wine or beer with their meal, but ultimately this is a really important public health issue – one which requires coordinated and targeted action from Member States and the Commission.
So I hope we will adopt a strong resolution this week. The Commission needs to listen to this Parliament and take action immediately to reduce alcohol—related harm. By finally coming forward with a new alcohol strategy, it would at least show commitment to taking this matter seriously."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples